Chained
by Avarwen
Summary: DISCONTINUED! : See profile page! ‘...I’d sneak back in and go to the room she used to have there. The air was so still in there, like no one had passed through it for a long time, and the room smelled stale.’ He looked back at her. ‘Like this'
1. Chained

Chained

'Sir.'

Naraku looked up in irritation at the guard who had just come in.

'Speak.' He said angrily, wondering why his orders to not be disturbed had been disobeyed.

'We have her, my lord.' The guard said. All anger fled him immediately, and he shifted, straightened, in his throne, pleased with his guards for once.

'Bring her in.' He said quietly.

The guard bowed and then disappeared out of the room, returning a moment later with another guard, each holding the arms of a young, violently struggling, girl in their powerful grips.

A wave of his hand and the guards threw her to the ground. A manacle there sprung to life and wrapped itself around her ankle, securing her to the floor.

Naraku smiled, satisfied, and then said the the guards 'You may go.' They bowed low and slowly backed out of the room, leaving the two alone.

'Well, well, Kagome, isn't it?' Naraku said tauntingly to the girl on the floor, who was slowly struggling up to her hands and knees, her body weak and tired from trying to flee them, trying to fight them. 'The reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo-- tell me to what do I owe the honour of such a visit?' He asked, amused as she turned a fierce glare up at him.

'Save the crap, Naraku!' Kagome shouted at him, and Naraku raised an eyebrow.

'Temper, temper. You should try to keep it in better check in the presence of your betters.'

Kagome, completely ignoring what he just said, glared up at him, and viciously snarled out 'What have you done with Inuyasha?'

Naraku's other eyebrow moved to join the first as he stared down at the enraged miko. 'Done? Whatever do you mean? What makes you think I have done anything to him?'

'Save it Naraku!' Kagome shouted, her rage and panic growing with every passing moment. 'I want to know what you did to Inuyasha!'

Naraku smiled evilly. 'You are stubborn, aren't you?' He said, before gently inclining his head. 'However, you're stubbornness intrigues me-- I haven't had any good entertainment in a while. Perhaps I will let you see your precious hanyou.'

Naraku turned his head to the side, and his eyes glowed red for a moment. There was a rumble as the secret door in the wall began to open .

The sound of footsteps and a chain being dragged across the floor as one of his servants lead the hanyou in.

The gasp that escaped the Miko was priceless, and Naraku revelled in it as the free end of the chain was secured to his throne, the other end leading up to the steal collar that lay around the hanyou's neck.

The half-demon moved until he was right next to the throne while the servant bowed and exited. Naraku waited until the door was closed again, before turning his attention to the hanyou.

'Sit.' He said casually, and smiled when the hanyou obediantly moved back and sunk to his knees beside the throne, his eyes submissively down as they stared blankly at the opposite wall, not even noticing the girl standing there. No sign of recognition was in them.

'Inuyasha, what has he done to you?' Kagome asked, tears filling her eyes and leaking down her cheeks.

The hanyou didn't respond, didn't even look at her. It was clear that he had endured a great deal of abuse, his half-naked body was evidence of that, and Kagome could see cuts and whip-scars covering almost the entire of the flesh on the hanyou's torso. She could see places where he had been burned, and marks on his wrists where cruel bindings had cut into his tender flesh... and it broke her inside.

Naraku raised an eyebrow as his eyes turned back to the distressed miko, and he frowned. 'You don't approve of my pet?' He asked mockingly.

Kagome continued to stare for several seconds at the hanyou, ignoring Naraku, before finally turning her rage-filled eye upon him.

'Your pet! He's not an animal, Naraku! You can't chain and collar him, beat him into submission treat him as... as a dog!' She snarled at him, and Naraku smiled.

'Quite the contrary, I have done all of those things to your precious hanyou.' He let the smile grow on his lips, his eyes glowing slightly red again. 'And much more.'

'Naraku, you evil fucking bastard!' She shouted, moving closer with each word, as though she thought she might be able to harm the demon.

In a flash Inuyasha was up off the floor, stepping between her and Naraku, ears flat against his head, claws at the ready, his hackles raised in an angry, warning snarl.

Kagome backed away from the half-demon in shock whil Naraku smiled, pleased with his pet.

'I'm afraid it would not be wise to try that again-- he might bite.' The demon said, basking in the rage that grew in the girl's eyes.

'Why you--' She started, but Naraku cut her off, his eyes going to the main door.

'I think that's enough for today. My pet can only have so much excitement or he gets very fatigued and stressed. Guards, please remove her to her..._chambers.'_ He said, grinning at the small flicker of fear that entered the girl's eyes at the mention of her prison.

Kagome struggled as the men grabbed her, the manacle around her ankle finally releasing it's hold. 'No! Stop it! Let me go! Inuyasha, please help me!' She shouted.

'I'm afraid he can't hear you.' Naraku said, smiling even wider, making him look all the more sadistic and evil. Reaching forward, he gently stroke the hair that grew on the top of the hanyou's head, as if he were a pet. And Inuyasha reacted by leaning in slightly to the touch, though his eyes remained fixed on the girl being dragged away, and he continued to growl.

'He listens only to my voice, now.' The Youkai said, taking in the shock and pain in the girl's eyes before sitting back in his throne again.

'No!' Kagome screamed, not being able to bear the sight of her Inuyasha, chained and tamed and behaving as a dog for his nemesis, his very reason for continuing to search out the shards. 'Get your hands off me!' She shouted at the guards, struggling, trying to get back to the hanyou, who was still glaring at her, fangs bared, ready to strike. 'Inuyasha, please help me!' She shouted as they dragged her out the door, and her voice resounded around the whole room, down the long hallway. 'Inuyasha! INUYASHA!'

But Inuyasha didn't hear her. He heard only his master's voice as he was bidden to once again sit at his side, head down in submission, eyes staring blankly at the opposite wall-- the spirit gone from them.

END


	2. Broken

_Hi everyone! Bet you didn't think you'd see another chapter to this story, huh? Lol, well to all those who are reading this, the thanks all goes to the wonderful reviewers of this story, because without their encouragement this would never have been continued._

_I know it's been like ages, but I've been busy with some other story ideas, plus I never really planned on continuing this story in the first place (so again, thanks to the reviewers). I did respond to everyone's reviews (amazingly slowly! oo) and I posted the responces on my user page (where all the reviews to one shots are now going to be posted). Those reviews are strangely outdated, but I'm too lazy at the moment to make up new ones (sorry!)_

_Also, a little AN within the AN-- a person named Kaome-207 reviewed me and asked me to read her story (and I hope I read the right one, cause she's got a few there now) but after reading "Finding all Truths" by her, I think that I can honestly say it's a really unique take on a type of story I've only seen done a few times, so if, between now and whenever I make another story (or maybe even an update!) you get incredibly bored, try checking that one out. It's pretty cool!_

_Also, when it comes to updating this story, I really don't know. It took enough work squeezing this out, and I really don't want to ruin a story that's gotten such good reviews (something I always seem to be doing)_

_Okay? Have I rambled on enough for you all? GOOD! Now, one with the story:_

Broken

He didn't remember.

Why didn't he remember?

Inuyasha's mind spun slightly as he lay curled up on the floor, watching the fire crackle before him, his mind drawing blanks wherever he went.

He couldn't even remember if there was something _to_ remember.

On the bed above him his master shifted, and Inuyasha knew he was looking down at him. He kept his head submissively down, knowing he would be rewarded for the gesture.

'You're mind is restless, my pet.' Naraku's voice came down, smooth as silk, caressing him, and Inuyasha's body shivered slightly, an action he barely kept hidden from his master.

'Perhaps we should fix that.'

Inuyasha's eyes widened slightly in fear as the pale, long fingered hand appeared before him holding the small, shimmering shard before his eyes.

Inuyasha couldn't help it, he cowered against the bed, not knowing why he was so afraid of that object, only knowing that it was somehow connected to pain, and those walls that pressed out everything in his mind-- in their strengthening.

'_Please no...' _His mind begged, though he remained silent. His master did not like it when he talked, yet he always seemed to know what was going through his mind anyway.

'What do you think, my pet? Should we still the troubled thoughts racing through your mind.'

Inuyasha pressed closer to the bed, the jewel's tainted black depths glistening with orange in the fire light as Naraku moved the jewel closer to him, almost touching...

A whimper escaped his lips before he could stop it, and Naraku froze, staring down at the cowering hanyou before him, the one he had worked so hard to break, to bend to his will.

The hanyou's eyes were fixed on the jewel shard, wide and terrified and filled with pain, and Naraku smiled. It had taken weeks, nay, months to finally break the strong-willed hanyou, but the results had been more than worth it.

'Are you afraid, my pet?' he asked the half-demon quietly, dangling the jewel with a string of magic in front of the hanyou.

'You make speak.' He said quietly, one of the only times he had given such permission to the hanyou. 'Tell me, are you afraid?'

'Yes.' Inuyasha's voice was weak and trembling, holding none of the old pride or stubbornness or... will that it used to. It was completely broken. Just as he was.

'Come here.' He said quietly, drawing the hanyou's eyes to him. Inuyasha hesitated a moment before slowly, cautiously climbing up onto the bed.

Naraku pulled the half-demon toward him, setting his head in his lap, and stroking the silver strands of hair, around the ears, gently rubbing a spot just behind the ear where he knew the hanyou liked, before combing through the hair with his nails.

The metal collar around his neck got in his way with every stroke, but Naraku did not remove it. It was a reminder to the hanyou, a reminder of exactly who was the master and who was the slave.

'You don't need to worry, Inuyasha.' He said, gently stroking the hair away from the hanyou's neck. 'Everything will be alright.'

The world became hazy and Inuyasha's tortured nerves stood on end, all of them swimming with the sudden pain that shot through him as the jewel shard was slowly slid into the nape of his neck. A low keening sound escaped his lips, the kind an animal might make in childbirth, and his body twitched for a minute, then lay still, silent, save for the slow beating of the hanyou's heart, his chest rising up and down-- the only part of the hanyou's body that still had any recollection of the outside world. The only part of him that was still fighting to get it all back. The only part of him that Naraku couldn't touch.

The youkai smiled as the hanyou's eyes glazed over and became dull again, the fire flickering red in his golden eyes.

Slowly, he pushed the hanyou off of him, letting his limp body slide to the floor, the chain around his neck rattling dully, the tainted jewel shard glowing bright with evil in the hanyou's neck.

Naraku looked down at him and his eyes, already illuminated by the fire, glowed and even harsher red as the sight of the unconscious half-demon before him. Once so strong willed, now quiet, submissive, and completely...broken.

Naraku smiled as he tightened his hold ever so slightly on the jewel, making the hanyou's eyes flicker and the shard glow even brighter, while deep inside the hanyou's chest, his heart skipped a beat, and then began to thump harshly, determinedly against his chest, Still alive. Still undefeated.

END

_Like it? Hate it? Either way review and let me know, Flames, compliments and constructive critism welcome (but please no rips!)_

_Special Thanx to: _**_Mustlovkits101, __CrazyPoet, __bakacharm, __Snow Lepord, __FireyFlames, __Kaome-207, __Anonymous Malink, __Inuyashasgirlfriendforever, __ultamiteromantic _**_**and 1st Tragedy.** They are the reviewers who made this chapter have even a spec of opportunity at being made. And if you hate the story, well then, you know who to blame too... (lol, just kidding. I take all the blame on myself.)_


	3. Alone in the Darkness

A\N -- CHAPTER THREE IS UP! HA, Bet you all never thought you were going to hear from me again, didn't ya? Lol. This chapter is all about Kagome, so that's good for you Kagome lovers out there. Or maybe it isn't. Well, either way, it's still an update, so...

REVIEWS! (YAY!)

**Kaome-207 **- Oh cool, maybe I'll take a look at it when I have a bit more time (I'm really kinda busy at the moment). And don't worry, if I do continue "Chained" further, there will be NO Naraku\Inu in it. This isn't a yaoi story, never planned on making it that way. I also don't know when I'm going to update again because I'm having a MAJOR writers block with this story at the moment. You're more than welcome about me putting your story at the top (even though I got a bit confused sometimes, I was genuinely enjoying it, something that doesn't happen too often considering I don't have a lot of time to read them)!

**Nassica12** -Lol, I'll take that to mean you are liking the story.

**Mustluvkits** -Lets out breath that's a relief. I was really unsure if people would like this chapter, because it portrays an entirely different sort of mood than the last one (in my opinion anyway). Plus there was apparently indication of Naraku\Inu (which I had no intention of putting there) and a lot of people get worked up over that kind of thing. Anyway, I'm rambling and once I get going it's really hard to stop, so I'm going to shut up now. Thanks for reviewing!

**ultimateromantic **- Lol, thanx I'm glad I can keep the suspense up (even though I don't have any idea where this is going either). I hope to be updating soon, but if I can't get this writers block to lift then it could take a while.

DISCLAIMER: (Do NOT continue on with the story before reading and fully understanding this!) I OWN NOTHING! Well... maybe not nothing, this particular story and one of the characters in it is mine, but everything and anything else associated with the anime Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I am making no money off of this, so I'll have none to give you if you want to sue me! Everybody got that? GOOD! Then one with the story...

Alone in the Darkness

The dungeon was dark and cold.

Those were pretty much the only words to describe it. It stunk well enough too, but that was just a minor part of it's foulness.

It was the darkness that got you.

Kagome had been down here for weeks, yet she barely was aware of the passing of time. She hadn't seen the sun or the moon, or any kind of light save the faint flicker of the torches the guards used, and those lights never made it past the door to the dungeon.

The guards came once every two days to bring her food and water, though they never spoke to her. She had come to yearn for those visits, for they were her only contact to the outside world, her only proof that things existed beyond that dank little door that kept her secured down here.

Today was different though, somehow.

When the door cracked open to let the guards into the dungeon, only ones set of footsteps reached her ears. Being in the dungeon for so long, she had learned to rely more on her ears than her own eyes. Her eyes played tricks on her. Tricks that made her believe for fleeting, blissful moments that Inuyasha and her were still free, that the world was still alive... that they were still together.

Her eyes had adjusted to the dimness in the room, and it became easier to see in the dark, but she still relished the faint flickering of the torches that cast an orange glow all along the stairs that led down here.

Her eyes fell on the figure that had just entered, and she stared at her in confusion. Instead of the two big surly men who usually came to bring her food, always in pairs, there was a single woman, dressed entirely in black, with long dark hair trailing down to her waist, and cold dark eyes that stared and Kagome unmercifully.

But there was something else in those eyes. A touch of warmth. And Kagome only saw it because she had been locked in the cold and dark for so long that she craved any sign of any warmth desperately, and grabbed onto it with both hands when she found it.

The woman opened the small door built in the bottom corner of the bars of her cell and slid the plate of food and the flask of water through to her.

Kagome forced herself to scramble over to the bars, clinging to them so she wouldn't drop to the ground again in her weakened state.

'Please...' she said as the woman closed the door, drawing her dark eyes to her. 'Have you seen a hanyou by the name of Inuyasha? He's got silver-white hair, and yellow eyes, and ears that stick out of his head like a dogs--'

'We're not supposed to converse with captives.' The woman said coldly, before turning and moving back toward the stairs.

'Wait!' Kagome near shouted, and, much to her surprise, the woman waited, stopped, one foot one the bottom most stair. She didn't look a Kagome, just waited.

'Please... I haven't seen him in weeks...' She said quietly, trying to stop the tears that were forming in her eyes. 'I don't know what's happening to him, or if he's still alive or...' She couldn't finish, and the tears she had fought so hard to hold back began to pour down her cheeks in rivers and steams of sorrow and misery.

The woman looked back, her nose slightly wrinkled as though Kagome was some vile creature not worth the dirt she stood on. Still, after a moment, she sighed, aggravated, and asked 'What did you say his name was?'

Kagome sniffed and swallowed the tightness in her throat, forcing herself to speak even though it hurt. 'Inuyasha.' She said quietly.

The woman's eyes narrowed for a moment as she pondered this, then widened again as she frowned and looked up at Kagome.

'You mean that half-demon whelp Naraku drags around all the time calling his pet?' She asked, her tone disdainful and slightly angry.

Kagome didn't care. She was too happy to know that Inuyasha was alive, that this woman knew who he was.

'You mean you've seen him?' She asked.

The woman snorted. 'Seen him? Nobody's seen him. You just hear things from time to time. Nobody's got the time or cares enough to try and go see that worthless little runt that Naraku has taken such a liking to. No, I haven't seen him.'

Kagome's face fell almost instantly at the woman's words.

'Do you know where he is then?'

The woman eyed her a moment, then shrugged. 'He could be anywhere, it is not my job to watch him. I am not his keeper-- that is Naraku's job.' She added with a slightly smirk as Kagome's eyes heated slightly. 'He is usually kept in Naraku's private chambers, I believe.' The woman said, taking some pity on her.

She stared at Kagome for a moment, before the ice returned to her eyes, and she turned and began to ascend the stairs.

'Wait!' Kagome shouted, bringing the woman to a stop again. 'Please... can you tell me... what is your name?'

The woman turned slowly to face her, her eyes watching Kagome suspiciously for a moment, before she finally spoke, the dark paint on her lips glittering slightly in the torch light that backlit her from the top of the stairs. 'I am Amaya, a dark sorceress in these lands and the servant of Naraku.' She stared consideringly at Kagome for a moment, her eyes bereft again of any warmth or kindness. 'And you would do well to remember not to question so eagerly those who hold your life in their hands.'

Kagome stared up at the woman and sighed. 'My life is already over.' She said quietly. The sorceress raised an eyebrow, before turning away.

'Thank-you.' Kagome said quietly. Her only answer was the sound of the heavy door slamming shut, a sound the echoed around the dark chamber, before it filled with silence once again.

END

Well? What'd you think? Want me to continue? Well then let me know by reviewing! It's the only reason I continue posting this stuff! There's no point in posting a story if no one's going to review!

MAJOR THANKS GO TO: **Kaome-207, Nassica12, Mustluvkits and ultamiteromantic, **who are the only reason there's another chapter up here!


	4. Remember me and Despair

A\N: Hey everyone, it's me again, with another update ! I got this up as fast as I could, so sorry if it took a long time. This story has actually gone on much longer than I ever anticipated (considering it was originally a one-shot!) and is now completely out of my control, so I, like all of you, have absolutely no idea what's going to happen next.

Also, I would like to point out that, sadly, there are a numerous amount of people reading, viewing, and even favouritizing my stories, but a very small selection of them are reviewing. Now, while I appreciate greatly the people who are reviewing (YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!) it's a little bit depressing that people read my stories, but can't take the time out to review them. Reviews at the only thing that keep my stories going (so if you don't like me, that's the way to go about getting rid of me) so if you want me to keep posting, the PLEASE REVIEW!

To the people who did review:

kaome-207 - Thanks! I looked into some chapters of that one story you said to and it was pretty good (though I haven't made it that far-- I plan to review as soon as I make it to the last chapter) but I think I might like the other one better.

MustluvKits101 - Lol, it's good to know I'm not the only one whose noticed that. It is kinda annoying... well, maybe not to you, because this isn't your story, but if someone read your story and didn't review, then it would be.

ultimateromantic - Lol, yeah, there's sure to be more Kagome and Inuyasha angst to come-- but I don't think our favourite hanyou's going to do any "fetching" anytime soon.

rena555 - No, I haven't posted this anywhere else, and yes, they have been capture for a long time (they'd have to have been for Naraku to be able to break Inuyasha's spirit so well) and about her saving him... well I don't know if she will in the end, and even if I did I couldn't say, cause that would just ruin the story, now wouldn't it?

Snow Lepord - I'm glad you found it too! Miroku and Sango... well, I'll get to them eventually (I'm not entirely sure when) though for all I know, they could very well have died by now. I hope not though, cause they could be useful in the story. Lol.

Thank you all so much for reviewing! It's great to know that you guys are enjoying this story!

Okay, I've have my ranting time, I guess it's time to give you guys the next chapter.

Also, an **INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:** (Don't understand this next bit of text, then don't read on!) I own nothing but the story "chained" and one of the characters mentioned in a previous chapter is mine. The rest (so far) all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, who is the wonderful creator of Inuyasha! I am making no money off this story, so don't bother suing me. If you understand, then you can proceed with the story.

Remember me and Despair

Inuyasha stared blankly at the fire, watching as it devoured the logs. It was a habit his master had long ago broken him into.

They both loved the fire -- but for two very different reasons.

Naraku loved fire because of it power, it's need to devour, so much like his own need. Naraku told him this, once, during one of those moments right before Naraku went to sleep, he would talk to Inuyasha, teach him his theories on life. And Inuyasha would listen, because he couldn't not. He had been trained to focus on his masters words, and couldn't not listen or obey them.

So when his master would tell him to sit and listen, when he would talk to him, he would sit and listen.

And Naraku would tell him about everything, why he liked it, or why it was unworthy of existence and how he planned to annihilate it. And fire was one of his favourite things.

But sometimes Inuyasha would develop his own ideas about the things Naraku spoke of.

Like how his master failed to notice that in the end, once the fire ran out of things to devour, it went out as well.

He never told Naraku these things, rarely remembered them himself. It was all just a way of... remaining sane, not loosing his mind completely to the walls that pressed in on it from all sides.

So while Naraku loved the fire for it's power to destroy, Inuyasha loved it for it's ability to reincarnate. Not literally-- it brought nothing back to life, but it sometimes managed to break through the walls. And sometimes it managed to show him a glimpse into a life that seemed so familiar and yet he did not recognise.

It was an escape for him, to a place far away and beautiful, with people who smiled and waved at him but he didn't recognise. He almost always forgot these things later. But when he remembered them, it made him sad, because he _couldn't_ remember.

He longed to go to these people, but he couldn't. They were too far away, and the more he tried to go to them, the faster the walls closed in around him.

So he would sit and watch them from afar, staying up late at night after Naraku was asleep, for it was the only time he had that he was safe to do so, and just... stare at the fire, longing for the things it showed him but could not give him.

Longing for the things it made him remember that he couldn't remember.

He would fall asleep with tears in his eyes and remember nothing of it the next day.

But today he remembered.

He remembered seeing a girl with long black hair, and wide brown eyes dressed in strange clothing. She was hanging on the edge of a wall, staring up at something he couldn't see, and slowly trying to pull herself out.

Her eyes were wide and filled with concern as she slowly stood to face someone he couldn't see, who was seemingly standing behind him.

He longed to go to her, to find out what was wrong, but he couldn't move. He felt a strange amount of shock and concern at seeing her there, feelings he couldn't register as having anything to do with what he thought he should feel.

"_What are you doing here? I told you never to return!" _A voice called, familiar and strangely close, yet he couldn't recognise it.

He put his ears back in confusion and then desperation as the vision began to fade.

'_Wait! Please don't go!' _He silently begged, but the walls were already closing around him, cutting him off, and Inuyasha was left alone again with nothing but his despair, confusion, and desperately beating heart.

END

A\N: Well? Any good? I hope so, cause it took a lot of work to get my mind to cooperate enough to form this chapter.

Special thanks go to: **kaome-207, Mustluvekits101, ultimateromantic, rena555, **and **Snow Lepord** who are the only reason this chapters even up here!


	5. Feelings Surpassing Time, Space and Life

A\N: Okay, Chapter 4 has now surpassed chapter 2 in hits, but is still lagging behind chapter three, and chapter one is whooping all their asses! Lol, sorry I just had to put that, cause I always find it funny when the chapters have all these wild numbers of hits. Either people really like one chapter and keep going back to it, or their skipping over other chapters.

_Anyway_ This chapter my mind decided to go in a completely different direction than what I had thought. I always assumed it would go with some farfetched escaped plan, or maybe just a really tragic ending where no one got away, but it seems to have opted for a third choice. I'm trying to work on updating faster, but if I go too fast then I might just ruin the story.

I got a couple new reviewers (or maybe some old people who just never reviewed before) so that's really exciting! I can't believe the great responses my story is getting... do you guys realise how terrifying that makes updating? What if I ruin the story? ARGH!

Lol, well, until _that_ happens, your guys' reviews are great, so let's get started:

Rena555 - I understand where you're coming from, sometimes I just absolutely CANNOT review because I know that, with my current warped state of mind, I'll either make a fool of myself, make no sense, or insult the person I'm reviewing. Oh wait, I already do that, don't I?

TheyMadeMeDoIt - That really sucks. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, though. Now I'm wondering, who exactly is they, and what did they make you do? (Lol, don't forget, "you have the right to remain silent, anything you say will be misquoted, and then used against you.")

Snow Lepord - Yeah, I'm trying to update quicker, though usually after writing chapters I feel (though accomplished) thoroughly drained. If I didn't, I imagine I'd write about three chapters at a time and be posting like there was no tomorrow! I can't tell you how they'll get out cause that would ruin the story! (we'll let the little fact that I myself don't know slide...)

MustluvKits101 - I look forward to it! I enjoy reading your reviews!

AidynFire - I don't know if she'll get to kick butt. If anyone's got a reason to kick butt, it's Inuyasha, don't ya think? And I'm as hopeful as you that that'll happen, but, like I've said before, I have absolutely no control over my stories or the directions they go in. They're as much as surprise for me as they are for you guys! (Maybe that's why I enjoy writing them so much. That, and the reviews...)

ultimateromantic - I'm glad you're enjoying it, and I know what you mean: I'm a sucker for metaphor's too. It's always loads of fun coming up with them and seeing how people react to them. I don't know if the chapter's will be getting any longer (I don't think this one is) but I'm afraid that I doubt it. All the thoughts would get jumbled in my head then and the chapters would drag on in a boring manner and start to feel claustrophobic. So, gomen about that. I seem to be making everyone sad with this story...

Okay, that's all the reviews for now, and thanks again to everyone above, cause you guys are the absolute BEST!

Now, how 'bout it, this chapter seems like it would be the ultimate teaser for people (even though it's not supposed to be) and I ask all of you to tell me if you expected this! (And Be Honest!):

Feelings surpassing time, space and Life

Kikyo stood on the cliff, her servants soaring around her, as she surveyed the wasteland before her.

Naraku's demons had done their jobs well-- there was no sign of life or goodness anywhere to be seen or heard.

She stared coldly in the direction where the youkai's castle lay, reaching her senses toward it, trying to learn what was on the demon's mind.

It hit her so suddenly and strongly that it caused her to stumble, and she sank slowly to her knees, her breathing hard as she clutched her chest. The feeling wore off after a moment, but her heart continued to beat like the wings of those insects Naraku loved so much.

That feeling... such confusion...such despair... And for her to feel it so strongly meant it could belong to only one person-- Inuyasha.

Rising slowly to her feet, she gazed at the lands before her, eyes narrowed slightly. She could feel both the hanyou's presence, and the youkai's in the distance, both locked away in that damn castle and... Kikyo froze up as she perceived someone else.

A small smirk tugged at her lips as she realised who it was. So Lord Naraku had caught himself the reincarnation of herself, had he?

The could work only to Kikyo's benefit.

Calling her servants to her with her mind, she raised her arms and allowed them to wrap around her body, lifting her slowly into the sky, pulling her toward the Demon lord's castle.

Kikyo's eyes were dark and her face determined.

She didn't know what foulness Naraku had bestowed upon Inuyasha, but now was her chance to take him back from the wench who had thought to steal him from her in the first place.

It would be her hands, not Kagome's, that would free the hanyou from the torture of Naraku's grip and mind. Her, not Kagome, who would heal his wounds and his mind and soul and heart, would help him recover from the pain Naraku had inflicted. It would be her, not Kagome who would help love again... help him love _her_ again.

'_I will get you back, my love.' _She vowed silently as the castle began to appear through the mists, the feeling of Inuysha's presence growing in her mind.

'_I will get you back.'_

END

Alright, don't try and kill me just yet, let me explain where this is coming from. I know Kikyo is determined to kill Inuyasha, but it always seemed to me that it was only because he seemed to be in love with Kagome and NOT her. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the angle this is kinda coming from, and with Kagome out of the way, well... why not?

Okay, now you guys can kill me, but be warned-- the result of my death will mean no future updates of this story!


	6. Slipping Away

A\N: Okay, well I said I'd but updating faster, but I may have lied. Finals are coming up (some are already here) and I am in desperate need of some time to study. I will still make time for my stories, but they might not be up as soon as I had hoped. I shall try and right this A.S.A.P. but I may not be updating again for a while.

MustLuveKits101 - I'm glad I was speaking coherently for at least a short time, and I don't much like Kikyo either. She's damn all annoying and there seems to be no way to make her die and _stay_ damn well dead! And I don't might late reviews, if you can put up with my cussing (exams really put me in bad moods, Plus I got about three hours of sleep last night-- which would explain why this is updated: I always run better on empty.) and late updates for a while.

TheyMadeMeDoIt - Sorry bout that, but, like I said, I don't know how long any of the chapters will be-- they'll all probably continue to be short. I simply can't write more than I can write, and that's all there is to it. As to your penname-- well that explains it... I think. I've never seen that movie though.

Snow Lepord - How Kikyo fits into the equation: I have no idea in all the seven hells. I never really considered her trying to kill Kagome... after all, our fav little miko (and no, I don't like Kagome much either, but, if I had to choose between her and Kikyo...) is going through enough in Naraku;s grasp, I don't imagine Kikyo could do much worse. Except, maybe, kill her.

sourapple10000 - I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and I'll try to keep up the good work, but I really can't make any promises my crazy little mind might not keep.

Okay, well that's all the people who reviewed for now, so, since I am completely worn and not at all in a ranting mood, I guess it's time to give you guys the next chapter:

(Before I forget again) **VERY IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER**: (I'm currently still in a state of denial, but and the law require me to put this anyway): I own nothing and no one that you have seen or heard of in the Inuyasha anime and\or manga. I make no money off of them. However, one character and this particular story (as well as any other under my name) belong to me so I can do whatever I want with them.

If you are in a full state of comprehension of the above message, then please continue on with the story:

Slipping Away

Cold.

It was cold.

That was Inuyasha's first warning that something was not right-- it was never cold in Naraku's room.

Inuyasha's eyes flew open and he sat forward, his hand instinctually going to his waist, grasping at the empty air there for a reason he could not fathom.

He froze, however, when his eyes fell across the creatures soaring gracefully around the room-- looking more like they were swimming through the air than flying.

Long, graceful, and snakelike, the creatures had strange fins on the sides of their heads, and six small leg-like things underneath that looked like they should be used to carry something. They glowed faintly in the dim light from the fire, and emitted strange, ghostly sounds that made Inuyasha feel strangely sad. His ears instinctually went back to try and block the noise out.

He watched the creatures, fascinated, feeling as though he had seen them before but not able to place where. One of them moved to the corner and wrapped itself around the sword Naraku kept leaning against the wall there, the one he had forbidden Inuyasha from ever touching.

Inuyasha started forward slightly to try and stop the creature as it pulled the sword up, but he couldn't. Two of the creatures had come and wrapped around his waist, and when he tried to fight them, another joined, pinning his arms to his sides, stilling him.

They remained like that while Inuyasha thrashed and squirmed, trying desperately to escape, but only succeeding in wearing himself out.

Finally, he slumped back against the bed, powerless to resist as more of the creatures moved to wrap about his body.

He lay limp in their grip as they slowly began to lift him into the air, pulling him through the window which Inuyasha only noticed now was open.

He trembled slightly, but not from the coolness of the air. He was scared.

He didn't know what these creatures were, or where they were taking him-- if they would simply drop him over the sharp cliffs that surrounded the castle and let him be skewered upon their jagged edges.

He silently prayed for his master to come and rescue him from these creatures.

It only occurred to him a moment later that maybe these creatures were Naraku's.

Maybe he was being taken to be punished for something he had done wrong.

He wracked his mind but could think of nothing he had done, any indication that he had displeased his master.

But he must have done something... he must have been bad...

Inuyasha trembled again, terrified. The last time he had done something wrong, Naraku had tortured him for hours, sometimes letting his demon servants take over... and they could be even more malicious that his master at times... it would not be so unusual for these demon creatures to be taking him somewhere to be abused...

The combination of fear, confusion, exhaustion and despair were too much for him. The creatures were gentle, not wrapped too tightly around him, but he could get no air in his lungs.

He fell limp again in their grips, not bothering to fight the unconsciousness-- it would be a blessing if it continued until Naraku was done with him. Not that he was ever that lucky.

The soul-collectors weaved through the sky, instilling curiosity and a strange sense of sadness and fear into all those who saw them. The moved their bodies so that the hanyou was hidden from prying eyes below, and to all who saw, they were just strange demons soaring through the night-sky.

The one carrying Tetsusaiga moved, unravelled it's body slightly and then released the sword completely, letting another take over the burden.

It soared up to move beside the hanyou's head, before slipping off ahead slightly, moving toward it's masters beckoning call.

END

A\N: Yeah, that's it. Short-- Maybe. But it's all I could manage right now. Actually, I think this chapter was longer than the last one, cause that was only a page or so, but this one's just borderlining three, so I don't know...

**SPECIAL THANX GO TO: MustLuvKits101, TheyMadeMeDoIt, Snow Lepord, and sourapple10000 **- The awesome reviewers who made this chapter possible by convincing by damn lazy muses to get off their asses.


	7. Time to Wake to Sleep

A\N: I am not in a talking mood (I only got three or four hours of sleep last night and have yet to eat anything so maybe that explains it) so I'm not gonna rant here, just answer the reviews and then get on with the story.

sourapple10000 - Yeah, Inuyasha will have to get Tetsusaiga back eventually won't he? We can't have him going beserk demon on us at a random time now can we? That's why Naraku had to keep it near Inuyasha, to stop him from turning demon. At least, in my mind anyway.

TheyMadeMeDoIt - I figured you must have liked the movie otherwise you wouldn't name yourself after a line from it. Lol. Yeah that makes sense. Of course, this is coming from a person who has a very difficult time creating any means of coherent thoughts to express to other people, so maybe that's not saying that much...

SilverHaired Nemesis - I'm glad you reviewed now! Reviews are what keep this story going after all! It's great to know you're all enjoying the story so much!

AidynFire - Yeah I hate finals. I think I expressed my opinions on "tests" in one of my other story's well enough, so I'm not going to go into a big rant about them here. After all, if you just escaped them, why should I force them on you again? Lol.

**DISCLAIMER: **This story belongs 100 entirely to me, and one of the characters (Amaya) does as well. The rest of the characters, however, belong to Rumiko Takahashi and I lay n claim on them whatsoever and make no money off of them. Don't like the story complain to me. Don't like the characters complain to Rumiko, cause she's the one who made them.

(Also, I have absolutely no idea where I'm coming up with some of the slightly odd titles for my chapters, so please don't ask).

Time to Wake to Sleep.

Gentle hands stroking his hair.

Inuyasha's brow furrowed slightly.

That couldn't be right. Not if Naraku was mad at him...

But maybe he was wrong. Maybe that was just another strange dream. Maybe his master wasn't mad at all.

Slowly, he cracked open his eyes, and was slightly surprised at the dimness that met them. Naraku's room was always lit by fire, strangely enough, it was never dark. His eyes slid closed again, not entirely sure he wanted to see whoever else it was that was in the room.

The hands touching him... they were soft and thin. Naraku's were long, but that was the only similarity they shared with these hands.

Inuyasha's heart immediately began to beat faster, and the hands upon him stilled.

'You're awake.' A soft, deep, but unmistakably feminine voice said from somewhere above and behind him. Inuyasha tensed slightly as a sudden weight pressed over him, and then soft lips pressed against his own.

Confusion fluttered through him, because he _knew_ these lips. Unconsciously, Inuyasha began to kiss back, trying to figure out why the body over him felt so cold.

After a moment the lips pulled away, and the body lifted off of him.

'That is enough.' The gentle, but firm voice said, hands again stroking his hair, down over his chest, making him shiver, but again, not from the cold.

'_These hands... their so familiar...but... so cold...' _

Inuyasha opened his eyes again and was caught in two dark eyes holding a warmth that the body did not, but so... empty.

He frowned as he stared at the woman before him.

She was pale-- too pale, like she never saw the sun, and her hair was tied behind her, a few strands at the front loose and falling over her shoulders.

She was dressed as a priestess, but yet... there was something... wholly unnatural about her.

Inuyasha shivered again as her hands stroked over the bare flesh on his torso, the shiver quickly turning to a shudder and he cringed away from her touch.

The woman pulled back, and stared down at him coldly for a moment, before her face softened again.

'You do not remember me, do you?'

Inuyasha hesitated, before slowly shaking his head. Remember her? How could he remember her? Had he ever seen her before in his life? But clearly he had, or his body would not remember her touch so well...

The woman's face softened even more and she gently reached up and touched his cheek, and Inuyasha winced slightly, but didn't pull away.

'That is alright, Inuyasha. I shall help you remember.'

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him up against her chest. Inuyasha sat tense in her arms, not knowing what to do.

'Who... who are you?' He asked tentatively, hoping he would not be reprimanded for doing so.

'My name is Kikyo.' She said slowly.

She pulled him back slightly and looked into his eyes, and Inuyasha could see the reflection of his emotions swimming through his eyes in his reflection in Kikyo's.

'Yes... you remember my name, don't you?' She said softly. Inuyasha eyebrows pulled up and in and he trembled, because he _did_ remember the name... but it held no real _meaning_.

'Do not strain yourself, my love. I will help you remember me... Just give me time.'

Inuyasha's shoulder shook slightly as silent tears streamed down his face, because he wanted to remember. He wanted to remember so bad... But... did he really want this strange woman who had taken him away from his master to be the one to bring back those memories? This woman who called him "my love" and pressed her lips to his, but whose flesh was cold as eyes and eyes as empty as Naraku's heart. This woman whose very presence made Inuyasha tremble in confusion and fear.

This woman who would keep him captive here, he was sure, until she achieved what she wished from him.

Did he really want to remember from her?

'Shh.' The woman said, touching her fingers gently to his forehead. 'You are thinking too much, Inuyasha.' A faint glow and then his mind began to grow heavy, the edges becoming black for the third time in a week.

'Sleep.' She said. 'I will not let any harm befall you while your rest, my love.'

Inuyasha tried to fight it, to remain conscious, but it was hopeless. The priestess had some kind of magic working upon him and he had no strength to fight, no... will to fight.

So he let his eyes drift close, all his thoughts on his master, and what sort of punishment he would receive when he found him.

END

A\N: Well that's all for now. This one is slightly longer than normal I think, but still on the short side, and I think that's the way it's gonna have to stay for the rest of the story. I just can't write that much that quickly. Gomen.

SPECIAL THANX TO: **sourapple10000** (You've got an AWSOME story, btw, even though I haven't had time to check for updates recently!), **TheyMadeMeDoIt**, **Silverhaired** **Nemesis**, and **AidynFire** who are the wonderful reviewers of the last chapter and the only reason this chapter is currently in existence!


	8. Gone

A\N: Well, I was really bored and really in the mood to write, so I thought I'd give another go at writing a chapter for this story. Two chapters in one day! Yeesh, what's the world coming to? I really need to get a social life or something...

Anyway, some people have already reviewed chapter seven (yay! ) so here are my responses to them:

Kaome-207 - Kikyo and Inuyasha? Nope. I agree completely with you: YUCK! Kikyo's such an annoying "wench", but my muses seem to think that she is necessary for the unfolding of this story, so she's in here...

MustLuvKits101 - It's good to have you back! Yep, most computers are retarded, and I'm pretty sure mines the leader of them, but, as the saying goes "don't throw your computer out the windows, throw the windows out of your computer!"

TheyMadeMeDoIt - Sorry if I confused you. Actually, I'm surprised that it was _just_ the last chapter that caused you confusion. Whenever I go back and read my stories even I get lost sometimes. Of course, maybe that's got more to do with me and less to do with the stories...

rena555 - Well he's not _entirely_ being manipulated by her, he just doesn't remember and she gets to do whatever the hell she wants until he does, doesn't she? Also, about Kagome, you'll just have to wait and see. (I actually am not 100 sure what's happening to her myself, so...)

sourapple10000 - Oh, okay thanks, I'll take a look at it ASAP (though probably not tonight cause I am completely wiped out!)

Well that's all for now, and since I still am not in a talking mood and am now feeling especially drained after writing this chapter as well, I'm just going to go on with the story:

**DISCLAIMER:** This story belongs to me. Amaya belongs to me. Inuyasha, Kagome, Naraku, Kikyo, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, Sesshomaru, Kohaku, the shichinin-tai (don't know if they're going to be in this fic) and anybody else associated with Inuyasha do not belong to me and I make absolutely no money off of them so do not sue me!

If you comprehend the above message then feel free to continue:

Gone

'My lord.' The servant said quietly, bowing his head in respect.

Naraku didn't even look over. He stared out at the rain pounding outside, lighting and thunder crashing at the earth like it wanted to tear it open. He knew that this was not an ordinary storm, that some magic or other had to have caused it.

And he had an idea as to why it was caused.

He had seen the soul-collectors soaring away from his castle. He had seen them carrying the figure that he had later realised to be Inuyasha.

'The hanyou... he is not in your chambers.' The servant continued, hovering nervously near the door. He knew he was taking a risk in speaking without permission.

'I know.' Naraku said, staring out the window as the room was illuminated by a flash of lightening.

'What form of action should we take?' The servant asked. Naraku continued to watch as a sharp wind blew, strong enough to snap one of the dead trees around the castle and send it tumbling to the ground.

'Nothing.' Naraku said quietly.

'My lord?' The servant asked, a tinge of disbelief edging his voice. This was, after all, the great demon Naraku. Someone had taken something of his, or else it had left him, and he said to do nothing... the world may as well have stopped turning for the shock that these words brought the servant.

'This storm... it is not natural.' Naraku said absently, and the servant glanced out the window at the clouds swirling in large spirals overhead, threatening to drop down in twisters at any moment. 'Some magic is brewing it.'

The lord turned his eyes toward the servant, who quickly turned his own back to the ground. 'We will do nothing.' He said, before looking back out the window. 'If I am correct, it is the priestess Kikyo who has Inuyasha. Her magic will keep them both concealed from us, so an attempt to find them would be futile. However.' A small smirk crossed the demon's face. 'If I am right she will be trying to bring Inuyasha back to her, restore some of his consciousness and undo all that which I have done. And she will be foolish to do so.'

'My lord?' The servant asked, eager to hear more.

'The half-demon Inuyasha will not hurt the priestess, I don't think. But he no longer has the feelings for her she desires him to have. He will not stay with her. And since we still hold his beloved Kagome in our dungeons, it is only a matter of time before the hanyou comes back to us. We will simply have to wait.'

He turned his eyes on the servant, who again looked away immediately. 'Leave me now.' He said, and the servant quickly bowed and began to back out. 'And make sure that the guards no to be on the look out for the hanyou. They must not kill him, but he will be angry when he returns, and I do not doubt that he shall have to be subdued.'

The servant nodded quickly and left, shutting the heavy wooden door behind him.

Naraku turned slowly back to the window to watch the rain pound down in sheets.

In truth he had been angry when he had seen Inuyasha being carried away by those worthless worms. He had been enraged that anyone, _anyone_, had dared to take what he had claimed as his.

That had been the reason he had so hated Inuyasha. The hanyou had taken from him something he could never get back, and so he used the half-demon as a replacement.

However, now the hanyou was gone as well, and Naraku was left with nothing for all his hard work to dominate the half-demon. Nothing but time.

'_You will return to me, Inuyasha.'_ He thought with a light smirk as a branch snapped off a tree and was hurtled against one of the castle's walls. '_You will come back to your master. And I will master you again.' _

Outside the lighting cracked against the cliff wall, sending small stones crumbling into the courtyard and the wind howled angrily, the only response to the demon lords thoughts.

END

Well that's it for now, now if you'll excuse me while I go collapse in the middle of the floor and don't move again for several days.

**SPECIAL THANX TO: Kaome-207, MustLuvKits101, TheMadeMeDoIt, rena555, Silverhaired nemesis** and **sourapple10000 **the completely awesome reviewers of the last chapter!


	9. Fear Me

A\N: Okay, I am still not in much of a talking mood (which is good news for you guys I guess) but I am definitely in a better mood than I was yesterday (probably cause last night I got something close to eight hours of sleep (a new record for me!) and I had something to eat this morning. Albeit, it wasn't a very healthy something, but it was a something nonetheless).

Okay, so, last chapter didn't get very many reviews :(, but, to the wonderful people who did review, here are my responses:

TheyMadeMeDoIt - Okay, thanks, I'll see if I can handle that!

sourapple10000 - Well, if he does to that, he'll have to get his memory back first won't he? I can't say what he's going to do cause that'll just ruin the entire plot for everyone, now won't it? BTW -- I've finally got more than like an hour of freetime on my hands, so I'm going to go check out the next part of your chapter right after I update (can hardly wait!)

That's all for now, I have to go read sourapple10000's story now, so if you'll excuse me...

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters from the manga\tv show and make no money off of them so please do not sue me! They belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

Fear me

Inuyasha shifted in his uneasy sleep.

All around him in his mind were sights and sounds he did not know... but that clearly belonged to him.

_Kikyo, standing above him with her bow poised, an arrow already fired into his chest, her eyes filled with rage and betrayal. 'Die, Inuyasha!' She called, before releasing the arrow toward him._

_A girl... he was chasing her, trying to kill her... she had something he wanted. Beads flying through the air, landing around his neck, glowing with enchantment. He struggles but is un able to remove them._

_A tall youkai with silver hair and yellow eyes, a moon in the centre of his forehead, looking at him with disdain before plunging his sharp clawed hand forward, into his eye. _

_A monk is falling down, blown back by the force of his own attack, and weakened by his injuries. Inuyasha's hand plunges forward, grabbing his hand, and he hears himself shout 'Dammit! You try to use that wind-tunnel again and I'll tear your stupid arm off!' Hundreds of demons rush towards him, and he can faintly hear a voice, **his** voice saying something. He raises a sword lying on the ground and feels the power pulsing through it. He swings it down and can see it has transformed, can see... nothing. A flash of white, and the next thing he sees is the sword glowing gold, all the demons around him gone._

_Blackness, his own voice thinking "Even if it is luck, if I can unlock the Tetsusaiga's true power again, I know I can beat Naraku. I vow I will master this sword. The Tetsusaiga is mine!"_

His brow creases in confusion as the image changes, and there is the girl again, pulling herself out of the well. A voice near him, and he tries to turn, to see the owner, but he cannot. "_What are your doing here? I told you never to return!" _And then the girl is running toward him again, and... blackness begins to press in, making the image fade further and further away. He tries to go toward it, to pull it back, but it is too late.

With a gasp, Inuyasha's eyes fly open, and he lies still for a moment, just breathing and shaking, trying to figure out what all this means.

He looks up and his eyes catch the sight of one of those strange demons soaring around above him.

He stares at it for a moment, tense, but it seems only interested in soaring in circles above him as though... guarding him.

Inuyasha glares at the thing for a moment, before slowly sitting up, bringing his hands to his face and rubbing repeatedly.

Dammit, why couldn't he remember?

It was all coming back to him, but it was coming so slowly, in fragments, like pieces of a puzzle that have been torn in little pieces that must be put back together first before the puzzle can even begin to be made.

He sighs and looks up, cries out in surprise and scrambles backward until he is pushed against the wall as he notices the woman-- Kikyo-- standing in front of him.

She smiles warmly and sits down next to him, the demon circling lower, closer to the priestess.

'You're awake.' She says softly, leaning forward and stroking the skin on his cheek. He shuddered at the feeling -- as though his very blood had been frozen -- and pulled away.

Kikyo looked... angry? Sad?

Inuyasha couldn't tell.

The priestess dropped her hand to her lap and sighed deeply, staring out the window for a moment, before turning her eyes back to him.

'I understand why you fear me, Inuyasha.' She said quietly, and Inuyasha stared up at her in confusion.

'You do not remember... when you saw me in the forest, past the spirit shield, saw what I had become for the first time. You were not repulsed by me, but you were uncertain. It is only natural that your fear has developed now that you do not remember me.'

Inuyasha stared at the woman before him, and felt a pang of regret. She seemed sad enough already, but now he had done something, made it worse. He did not know who or what she was, but he did know that she had never hurt him.

Naraku had hurt him every day, but she... she had shown him nothing but peace and the promise that he would remember.

Inuyasha opened his mouth slightly, thinking maybe to speak, but he didn't. For one, he had not been told to speak, he had not been given permission, and while this woman had never hurt him, weeks on end of being tortured mercilessly for speaking without permission had taught him that his voice had consequences, and his words could be the very thing to end his life. For another, his throat was so sore, so misused at first because of his screaming, and then so unused for so long, that it barely worked right at all. It was dry and he did not think he could make it work even if he wanted to.

So he remained silent, staring at the woman, and aptly trying to figure out why she seemed so familiar to him.

"_You would not hate me if I used these hands to steal the life from you?" _

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed slightly as the voice resounded in his head. It was deep, but clearly a woman's and... so familiar... but it couldn't be her...

He looked up at the priestess in confusion, and she stared back at him, her brow creasing with concern.

'What is it, Inuyasha?' She asked quietly.

But Inuyasha couldn't answer.

His mind was hurtling toward another memory, and he could not break away, could not pull back into the now and free himself from this.

_He was standing in a clearing, and Kikyo was standing there too... leaning against him... embracing him. And his arms were around her, his head near her shoulder, and his heart filled with so many emotions-- regret, remorse... uncertainty. _

"_I can't save you." He said slowly, quietly, his voice full of pain, and he felt her tense in his arms slightly. "I can't do anything to help you... except stay like this." He felt Kikyo shift slightly, press closer to him. "If only time could stand still." _

"_Would you agree to that? If I stopped time, would you stay with me forever?" _

_Inuyasha felt his heart skip a beat as the uncertainty grew, but, to his confusion, he pushed it away. Mumbling "Yes." Instead._

Inuyasha's vision flickered, and then returned and there was Kikyo, staring at him in confusion and concern, leaning toward him across the futon.

"_Remember the feel of my lips against yours, for it was real." _Her voice echoed in his head, and then disappeared completely, leaving the two of them.

'Inuyasha?' Kikyo's voice reached him, her real voice, bringing him back down to earth.

He stared at her as his vision started to blur and he blinked in confusion as the tears began to slide down his cheeks. He didn't understand. He didn't understand any of it.

Who was this woman? What did she want with him? Why did he always feel so remorseful, yet so... angry and uncertain around her?

Kikyo reached her hand forward to wipe away the tears that coursed down his cheeks, but he pulled violently away, shrinking back against the wall and shaking violently, his hackles raising slightly of their own accord.

The Miko blinked in surprise, the pulled her hand back quickly. 'Inuyasha--' she started, but Inuyasha turned his ears back, not wanting to hear her, and she sighed, defeated. 'I will leave you alone for a

while-- rest. You need to regain you're strength.'

He heard her get up and leave, shutting the door behind her, but he did not look up.

Instead he began to sob, shoulders heaving violently as his mind raced in confusion and he inwardly screamed at it to shut up, for once wishing that the walls would just return.

Above him, the faint melancholy sound of the youkai reached his ears as the demon continued to soar around above him.

END

A\N: Nani? Don't tell me you're done already? Maybe you should go back and re-read the chapter just to make sure...

**THANKS TO**: **TheyMadeMeDoIt **and **sourapple10000 **(You guys should really check out his story, it's coming along great!) who are the awesome (I really need to get a new word!) reviewers from the last chapter!


	10. Never Let Go

A\N: And another chapter is up again! I seriously need sleep now because I was again up to about 4 in the morning and this seriously cannot be healthy for me. My sister commented to me that I had that "giddy hyper sleepy look on my face" this morning, and that I was acting all of those things, so I must be beginning to show. Anyway, I don't have a lot of time right now, just wanted to update this really quickly-- got things to do, places to be... ah who am I kidding, no I don't! Just got to finish some before-christmasbreak school work, etc. And by some, I mean a LOT!

Anyway, here's to the fan-fucking-tastic people who reviewed this story (which, BTW, now has 50 reviews!):

-TheyMadeMeDoIt - Well I'm not trying to put you guys to shame, I've just got overtired and overactive muses at the moment. It's kinda like when you eat a whole bunch of sugar or something right before bed and then you're up all night running on empty but with enough energy to run around like a maniac. Though now that I think about it sugar never did get me hyper... Coke always worked well though!

-Silverhaired Nemesis - Sango and Miroku should be mentioned sooner or later but I don't know when their actual "cameos" are going to be. As for Sesshomaru, I'll probably find a place for him and lots of other characters we know and love later on in the story... how far away they come in all depends on how this story decides to pan out. Anyway, don't worry, they'll come around eventually. (After all, I can't leave our favourite demon-slayer, lecherous monk, and stoic dog-demon out now can I?)

-MustLuvKits101 - Glares at non-reviewers as well yeah I know what you mean, though Christmas is coming up so people just might not have the time to review stories at the moment, but it's still kinda depressing when no one reviews. BTW, sorry for not responding to your last review, but it didn't get up till I'd already posted chapter 9 and by then there wasn't anything I could really do about it...

-rena555 - I celebrate Christmas not Holiday (which some people are now demanding we call December 25th) but thanks, and Feliz Navidad to you as well! As I said, Miroku and Sango will be coming up sometime sooner or later (hopefully sooner than later) and so will Shippo and Kirara. I do not know what they're doing at the moment though, so we'll have to wait and find out about that.

sourapple10000 - Yeah, poor Inu, how can I be so cruel to our fav hanyou? Kagome... I'm actually surprised only two people have asked about her, I thought more people would be concerned about her, but nope, everybody wants to know where Miroku and Sango are. I guess Kagome's not as popular as I first thought... anyway, she should be in one of the upcoming chapters (maybe the next one or the one after that) so have no fear about that.

That all of them?

Okay, then there's only two things left to do, the first of which is:

**DISCLAIMER**: Guess what? Kagome, Inuyasha, Kikyo and Naraku all belong to Rumiko Takahashi-- NOT ME! If you thought they belonged to me, you clearly need to get a refill on your medication. I make no money off of them. One character (Amaya) and the story, however, belong completely and entirely to me!

The second of which is to give you the next chapter already:

Never let go

Kikyo sighed as she wandered through the halls of the temple.

It was old and unused, but well protected by many sacred magic's.

She had cast her own spell allowing Inuyasha and herself to pass through, but any other demon would be destroyed if it came near the barrier.

She leaned against the rail of a balcony and stared off into the distance. The flashes of her storm could be seen even from this distance, and she knew that it was, perhaps, the only reason Naraku had not already come after her.

She would not give Inuyasha up, however, if he did.

She was determined, she would make the hanyou trust her again, and then she would win his heart.

No one would take him away from her again.

Memories drifted to her of the moments before, of Inuyasha's uncertainty and confusion, his suddenly wide eyes reflecting things she could not see, the panic in him, the way he flinched away so violently when she reached for him-- all of it led to one conclusion: Inuyasha was remembering.

Kikyo did not like this, for it put a strain on her plans. If Inuyasha remembered too much about her, or anything else in his past life, it may lead to the awakening of all the old feelings of hate, betrayal and disinterest that had grown in the hanyou's heart. She could not allow that to happen. She had worked so hard to gain the hanyou back, she would not give him up again, not let him be taken, even if it was his own mind trying to steal him from her.

She gritted her teeth, and gripped the balcony until her already pale knuckles turned white, and bits of loose stone, long worn down, shifted and crumbled beneath her grip.

One of her servants soared past, shimmering like a ghost in the moon, heading out to find a soul to sustain her.

Shimmering like a ghost...

Kikyo sighed, and he shoulders slumped slightly.

Why did life have to be so complicated all the time?

More importantly, why did _death_ have to be so complicated?

"_For the living time goes on, they carve their futures everyday, but for the dead... Time stands still." _Kikyo glared at the monks words, and then another voice entered her mind.

"_The dead cannot feel. The have torn free from the grips of death, but they have torn away their ability to live in doing so. Time ceases to recognise their existence, and in return, so do many of the living. But more importantly... the dead cannot love. They have torn their hearts when they escaped from death, and have no ability to simply...**feel**, let alone the knowledge to share feelings with others. That's why Inuyasha will never love you, Kikyo. You must learn to accept that and move on." _

Kikyo's grip tightened even more and she glared at the ground far below unseeingly, knowing the words of that young miko to be true. The woman had seen her for what she was instantly, but instead of trying to send her to her death, the woman offered her advice, and listened to all she had to say before telling Kikyo that which she believed to be the truth... which, some part deep inside Kikyo still attached to her human self knew to be true.

But her dead self will not accept.

'_They are both wrong.' _Her mind snarled angrily. '_I can make Inuyasha love me again. I **will** feel. And then I will claim him as mine forever.' _She shoved roughly away from the balcony and began walking down the long, echoing halls.

'_For if I can't have him.' _She silently vowed to herself. '_Then no one can.' _

END

A\N: Well that's all for now. Maybe I'll have another chapter up later today or tomorrow (I don't know, it all depends on how busy I am) so Ciao until then!

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: TheyMadeMeDoIt, Silverhaired Nemesis, MustLuvKits101, rena555 **and **sourapple10000 **who are the awesome people who took the time to review this story! Thanx, you guys are the best!


	11. The Hate and Compassion of Lonely Hearts

A\N: Feliz Navidad everyone. I know that I _just_ updated a couple hours ago, but I just couldn't concentrate on my work so I decided to write this next chapter instead. It's a bit confusing I think because I sort of had the main idea of this chapter in my head for all of today, and then I decided I needed to answer some people's questions in it, so I had to kind of cramp and squish everything together into it. It's probably one of the longer chapters in this story because of that. My apologiese ahead of time for any spelling mistakes and\or sentances that don't make sense. I'm afraid I just don't find it that entertaining to write out a story, type it out, and then go back a re-read and edit the damn thing, and I can't stand having another person edit my stories either. What this has to do with the above stuff, I have no idea, but it needed to be said, and so now it has been, and we can all go on with our lives again.

Also, I found out something fairly interesting the other day while skimming through a jap-eng dictionary. Apparently Yasha actually means female demon! Apparently Inuyasha is actually a bastardized form of Inuyaksa which actually does mean dog-demon. Apparently they thought (and I completely and totally agree with them) that InuYasha sounded better than InuYaksa. It is probably the best pic out of the three (the other one being Inuyoukai, which means dog-demon as well) for sound and saying, but probably the worst for meaning. Do you suppose this is where all those Inuyasha gender-bender fics come from?

Anyway, to the people who managed to read and review in the short time I gave them:

-MustLuvKits101 - So you hear the voices too? Lol, just kidding. Glad I could make you feel "luved". Tis the season after all.

-sourapple10000 - Actually they are neither's. The first words "The living carve their futures, etc" were said to Kikyo by some monk without a name who had just tried to send her to the spirit world or wherever and who she had then hurtled his spell back at, slicing his throat and killing him in (I believe) episode 22 "A Wicked Smile; Kikyo's wandering soul". The next words are my own from just a random miko that (in this story anyway) Kikyo met somewhere on her travels. Miroku and Kagome really have nothing to do with it. And I never said it was because of my story. I actually usually write in the earlier hours of the evening (around 10 or 11 because that's when my creative mode finally kicks in) and then type out the story the next day. The later hours are reserved for drawing (yeah, I draw too! ) which is probably not very smart of me because my drawings (the good ones anyway) usually take up to at least two hours (at bare minimum) to finish. Some of the longer ones can take up to four or five. And I'm telling you this... why? (I Have no idea... see, this is what happens when I go into rant mode, I just start talking about anything and everything and I simply cannot stop!)

-TheyMadeMeDoIt - Uber Bitch mode? UBM? Umm... I don't know about that. I mean, she already is pretty much a bitch all over, but I don't exactly want to portray her in quite as annoying a way. She's probably just going to end up being a big fucking complication once again.

Okay so it's time for that oh-so-annoying part of the story: The **DISCLAIMER:** I Do not own Inuyasha. I make no money off of him. I do not own Kagome. I make no money off of her. I do not own Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kirara, Naraku or any of the other characters of the Inuyasha series. I make no money off of them. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I own Amaya. I make no money off of her. I own the story. I make no money off of it. That's about all I own...

The Hate and Compassion of Lonely Hearts

Kagome hated it here.

She hated the darkness that didn't allow her to see more than five feet in front of her (and that only because she had been down here for so long and her eyes had adjusted to it). She hated the slime that dripped from the walls and oozed across the floor, staining her clothes and covering her arms and legs, later crusting there and making her itch horribly. She hated the bars that kept her down in this prison, she hated the tiles of stone that made up the floor and the water that dripped from the ceiling. She hated the horrible food they brought her and the terribly water that always tasted thick as though there was mud in it.

She hated it all.

But there was a bright side.

Or at least, a faintly illuminated by a "very-dull-grim-light" side.

The sorceress, Amaya, continued to come down to her dungeon, and though the woman tried to keep a cold exterior, Kagome could tell she felt compassion, and perhaps friendship towards her.

She figured the woman was lonely too, for the sorceress would talk to her of the dark towers she lived in that stood up tall above everything else, even the mountains, and surveyed all of the lands she ruled, of the long echoing halls that made up her palace and the servants she had working for her. All in all, Kagome came up with the conclusion that the woman had no real friends or anyone to talk to really, and was another person under Naraku's rule.

She even began to suspect that the woman had once been good, for they had never encountered tales of an evil sorceress like her, and surely one of this woman's power (and she knew it had to be great for Naraku to want her help at all) would have had many dark tales told about her.

The woman brought her news of the goings on in the world.

When Kagome asked her about her friends, Miroku, Sango and Shippo, the woman said she had seen no trace of them, but had heard rumours of a monk with a strange hole in his hand that sucked up everything around it being kept in one of the other dungeons. She returned the next day and informed Kagome that the monk was there, as well as her other friends, though none of them were in very good shape.

She continued to report back and forth between them, and Kagome slowly learned that, with Amaya's help, they were getting at least a little stronger.

Amaya also brought her things.

Not big things that would cause a lot of attention, but small essentials, like extra blankets or furs to lay upon the floor, some better food and clean water, a hairbrush. She got hold of Kagome's bag somehow and brought it down to her as well, though it really wasn't much use.

But the greatest thing she brought was a small kerosene lamp and an odd looking ring that the sorceress had placed an enchantment upon so that it would bear fire that Kagome could use to light the lamp.

Kagome treasured them greatly, for they were her only source of light down there, her only reminders that there was some good in the world left.

Kagome would stay up late (or maybe early, she had no sense of time down here, though the sorceress would occasionally inform her of the date) reading her old school textbooks, simply for a reminder of home, a way to help herself stay slightly connected to her family in the other world.

It didn't take long before she had them memorized, back to front, and then front to back, and still she continued to read them, or sometimes she would simply sit and recite it all back to herself.

That's what she was doing now, because it was a distraction, and she needed a distraction right now.

Amaya had come down what Kagome guessed to be three days ago with news that Inuyasha had been taken captive by someone.

Kagome's whole world had come shattering down around her, and she had sat crying helplessly for a long time while the sorceress watched, that same look of something close to disgust on her face again.

When Kagome asked her how and by whom, the woman merely shook her head, saying she did not know.

At Kagome's insisting, she agreed to try and find out more about the hanyou's capture, and had left the miko alone in the dungeon with her thoughts. She still hadn't returned.

Kagome had just begun reciting the second line of the fourth paragraph of pg. 256 of her math textbook when the prison door opened and Amaya came down the stairs, in her usual strangely graceful glide.

'I have news of your hanyou friend.' She said when the door had been closed by the guards.

Kagome immediately shot up, and came toward the bars while Amaya conjured up a chair for herself to sit on.

'Who has him? Do you know where he is?' Kagome began her line of questioning, but stopped when Amaya held up a hand to silence her.

'I do not know where you're little mutt is, nor how or why someone took him, but my sources tell me that he has been captured by a priestess-- a woman by the name of Kikyo.'

Kagome's face fell instantly. 'Kikyo...' She said quietly. This could not be good. She knew Kikyo wouldn't hurt Inuyasha... at least, she didn't _think_ she would, but then, the priestess had tried to kill them both at least once without really showing any remorse, and had tried to take the half-demon down into the depths of hell with her while he was unconscious, with Kagome standing right there watching, bound to a tree by her damn soul collectors.

'You're tone holds familiarity and you're eyes show worry-- you know this woman then?' Amaya said, not sounding entirely interested.

'She was the priestess who used to protect the Shikon jewel.' Kagome said slowly, quietly, knowing that Amaya was now listening to her intently. 'She saved Naraku when he was in his human form, as a man named Onigumo, but his heart was full of malice and he began to lust after her. However, he knew that Kikyo had fallen in love with someone else, a half-demon, Inuyasha. He despised them both for it and called the demons to him, letting them eat him alive, and in return he was converted into his demon self. He used his new power to trick Inuyasha and Kikyo into betraying each other, until Inuyasha eventually stole the jewel, and Kikyo sealed him to a tree with one of her sacred arrows.'

Kagome swallowed roughly, and immediately Amaya conjured a flask of water for her, clearly intent on hearing the rest of the story quickly. Kagome drank greedily for a moment before putting the stopper back in the top and continuing.

'Kikyo had the jewel burned with her when she died so that the jewel would not fall into any other's hands, and Inuyasha remained pinned to a tree there, asleep, for the next fifty years. That's when I came in. I came to this era and the jewel returned through me, bursting from my body because I am the reincarnation of the priestess. Unfortunately I shattered the jewel when a demon stole it from me and it scattered everywhere.'

She sighed and shook her head sadly. '_If it wasn't for that, maybe Naraku never would have gotten his hands on it... maybe he never would have captured me... or Inuyasha.' _

Amaya was staring at her with a deep frown. 'You make little sense, Kagome. If the priestess was dead, who would have revived her? I very much doubt that Naraku would have revived her.'

Kagome nodded slowly. 'You are right. Naraku only wanted the jewel now. A witch stole Kikyo's bone and revived her back to life. But so many things have happened since then... she now understands what Naraku did to her and Inuyasha, yet she remains bent on destroying me and taking Inuyasha back.'

Kagome sighed. 'I don't even think Inuyasha loves her anymore, but he can't hurt her. He can't bring himself to destroy her, and she has taken advantage of that several time. And now... she has him.'

Kagome trailed off into silence, and Amaya was quiet too for a moment, her forehead creased in thought.

'Onigumo...' She said quietly, and her eyes flickered and a smirk crossed her face for a moment. 'That means that Naraku was never a full demon. That explains why he wanted the Shikon no Tama so badly. And why he hates your little mutt so much. Imagine his rage that a worthless half-breed had stolen the two very things he wanted the most, and that he himself had some connection to the half-breed, being one himself.' She smiled evilly shaking her head. 'It is far too good to be true.'

Kagome sighed and shook her head. 'What does it matter? Naraku would have used the jewel by now, he's full demon and he's broken Inuyasha. All he has left is to destroy Kikyo or claim her for his own and he'll have everything he desired when he turned youkai.'

'Hanyou.' Amaya said, still smirking. 'When he turned hanyou.'

Kagome shot a dark look at the sorceress, and then stared at the dirty tiles of stone in front of her.

A thought suddenly entered her head, and her forehead creased in confusion and fear. What had become of Kaede's village and Inuyasha forest? What if Naraku had destroyed all that... what if he had destroyed the bone gobbling well?

Turning quickly toward the dark sorceress, Kagome clung to the bars of her cell and spoke. 'Amaya, I need to you do me a favour.' She said quickly. When she had first met the sorceress, she would not have dared to speak to her like that, so blunt and lacking the submissive respect it perhaps should have held, but now she knew the sorceress meant her no harm, and knew also that each of her little requests intrigued the woman and she would usually do them with very little trouble.

But this was a bit of a bigger one, for she had never asked the sorceress to leave Naraku's castle for her before.

'I have already done you several favours, and now you want another?' Amaya asked sharply, but Kagome could hear the curiosity hidden in her voice that only someone who had talked with her as much as Kagome had would be able to hear if they listened very, very carefully.

'I need you to go to Kaede's village and see if everything is alright and check up on her for me. Then I need you to go into Inuyasha forest and try and locate a well called the bone gobbling well and see if it is still intact.'

Amaya listened to her with a raised eyebrow, and then frowned. 'Inuyasha forest... that is the name of your little hanyou is it not?' She asked. 'Why does the forest share his name? For surely no one would name a forest Inuyasha without there being some connection.'

Kagome sighed gently. 'That is the place where Kikyo sealed Inuyasha to the tree.' She said, slightly impatient and desperate. 'Now will you go there and find out for me?'

Amaya raised her eyebrow again. 'After all the favours I have done for you, the least you could do is say "please".' She said, then added 'Yes I will go and find this village and make sure that the old crone and the well are still intact.' She said, standing up, the chair disappearing immediately.

'Thank-you.' Kagome said quietly, and Amaya paused with her arms raised over her head, her black cloak hanging off of them like wings.

'Do not thank me. Thank Naraku. He is the one who keeps me locked up here all the time until I am bored nearly out of my mind.' She turned her head toward the area in the ceiling that sealed off a window to the outside. 'Besides, it is about time I stretched my wings and got some fresh air.' She said, and with that a gust of wind suddenly rose out of nowhere and swirled around her, blocking her from Kagome's view, before shooting up and blasting in a strangely silent manner through the small circular window.

Kagome blinked and looked at the bird now standing where the sorceress had been before. It looked sort of like a falcon, only the top of it was black, not grey or brown, and it's beak had tiny silver flecks in it that reflected in the dim, dirty light that shone in from the hole.

The bird screeched at her, then flapped it's wings and took off into the air, racing up through the hole and disappearing from sight before Kagome could even blink.

She stared after it for a moment, then sighed and moved back in her cell, leaning against the slime covered walls to await the sorceress' return.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall and slowly began to recite again.

'_Line five, paragraph seven, page 376...'_

END

Okay well I'm completely pumped on energy that (by all means) shouldn't exist, so I need to go and wear some of it off. If you liked this story, or found it moderately okay, or even if you didn't like it... hell, let's just say If you _read_ the story and formed any coherent thoughts on it at all, then please feel free to review! (Really, it's not as bad or horrible thing as some of you seem to think).

**SPECIAL THANX TO THE FUCKING AWSOME PEOPLE WHO DID REVIEW: MustLuvKits101, sourapple10000, and TheyMadeMeDoIt**. You guys are the best! Give yourselves a pat on the back, cause your the only reason this chapter's up! (That and I was really bored... so don't dislocate your shoulder with the effort, okay? Besides, that'll make it really hard for you to leave me more reviews, which I need because I have an ego larger than my head (and yes, that is saying something) that is craving for some more comments to boost it).

Anyway, like I said, I am pumped on energy that's not really energy and need to go run around so that I can then collapse and pass out from exhaustion and hopefully gain a decent nights rest!

Any Questions about this chapter (which there probably will be, especially about Amaya) can either be left in the review area or emailed to me and I'll try to respond to them A.Q.A.P. (as quickly as possible).

MERRY-NOT-QUITE-CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!


	12. Age and Darkness

A\N: Joyeux Noel!

Well lets see. Last night I was up till two in the morning and this morning (even though I have pretty much the entire school day off) I then had to get up at around eight to go running around Walmart to do some last minute shopping (and all this after getting no sleep two nights ago) so I really have zero energy left. I'm running completely on that strange giddy-hyper whatever-the-hell-you-call-it completely now, which seems to work as I am updating much faster. Anyway, I've completely forgotten what I was going to say (I'm pretty sure there was supposed to be a point to this) so I'm just gonna go onto the reviews. (It'll probably come back to me, but by that time it won't make sense anymore...)

Silverhaired Nemesis - Sorry bout that. I'm sure my updates will get slower soon enough so that you can catch every chapter. Also, yeah I think they do. I mean, Amaya is communicating not just with Kagome, but with Sango and Miroku as well. And don't worry, I imagine I'll give Sango, Miroku and maybe even Sesshomaru their own chapters in the sort-of-near future.

sourapple10000 - Yeah, I actually came up with the idea for her a looooooong time ago (pretty much before this story was written) before I learned about Kagura and Tsubaki (which, in my opinion, Amaya seems to be a sort of cross between the two) but she should become a more complex (if not likeable) in the next chapters. I think she's actually going to be one of the main characters in this story, so expect to see a _lot_ more of her in the future. And I read and reviewed your story btw, but my mind is so fried I don't remember what I put. I hope I remembered to tell you how good it was, because, really, it was.

TheyMadeMeDoIt - Thanx! And have a happy not-quite-New Year! Well I know what you mean (sort of) because I get those emails all the time too (though I never thought it was an error). It's as if they think I don't _know_ that my story has been updated! Hello! I'm the one who updated it! I don't need to be reminded that I did! Yeesh... anyway, I'm glad I didn't suck with the last chapter. I try not to, but sometimes it's just unavoidable. And I also don't mind that you rant. Really, who am I to get upset if someone else starts ranting? Besides, I like rants... they distract from the fact that I am so constantly rambling on all the time!

MustLuvKits101 - You call that a rant? Lol (jj) I'm glad you enjoyed the fic. It's a bit lighter, but it's probably gonna get darker soon enough (I've got some nasty stuff in mind for some of our fav characters). Now after reading yours and TheyMadeMeDoIt's reviews, I'm beginning to wonder if this whole ranting thing is contagious!

Anyway, I am quickly loosing the ability to type coherently, so I'm gonna go now.

Merry-nearly-Christmas everyone!

Age and Darkness

The wood was silent as the bird flapped it's wings, soaring between the ancient trees, her wing-tips barely brushing the bark. All of the creatures that lived in the forest had gone to hide, sensing the evil aura that surrounded the bird and fearing it.

The trees thinned, and the bird moved faster, breaking free of the forest, her sharp eyes turning ahead and perceiving the village a little ways away.

She soared into it, taking in the silence and lack of activity. It was different from the forest. In the forest there had been traces of animals, and she had been able to sense their fear. Here there was nothing. It was like a burial yard.

She flew onward until she came to the hut she sought, landing gracefully on a thin post that sat outside, her claws digging sharply into the wood as she waited for the hut's inhabitant to come out.

It did not take long for the old woman to perceive her and come out of her hut, her single useful eye searching for the cause of her evil aura, the other covered with a black patch.

The woman's face grew grim as her eye finally came to rest on the bird, who stared at her almost as though mocking her.

'Amaya, this is a surprise. What brings ye so far from your own lands in these dark times?'

An odd glint filled the bird's eyes, one that never would have appeared in a real bird, and a small hurricane appeared around her, hiding her from sight for a moment, before disappearing, leaving instead a tall woman, dressed all in black, her deep eyes staring at the old woman in amusement.

'Kaede. It has been a while.' The woman said, pausing to look the other up and down. 'It seems that age had not been a friend of yours.' She commented, a slight smirk spreading across her features.

'Why have ye come here?' Kaede demanded, clearly in no mood to exchange unnecessary words with the sorceress. 'For I know you have not come to banter simple words with an old woman like me. Speak up!' She snapped, for Amaya was one of the few people on the face of the earth who had the ability to irritate Kaede.

'You are not nearly as patient as I remember.' Amaya said slowly, sounding slightly disappointed. 'But you are right, I have no time to trade words like that with you, though if I did, I imagine that simple words would be the only I could use. Any others might send a fragile mind like yours straight into the abyss of insanity.'

She leaned back against the post and glanced around at the village with disinterest and disgust. 'Your village is even duller than the last time I was here -- tell me, what has happened to all your loyal villagers? Have they abandoned you in this time of darkness? Fled for their own lives leaving you to guard and protect what's left of your mangy village?'

Kaede stiffened slightly. 'I sent them to safer places than here. There is no one left but me.'

'Pity.' Amaya said, her face falling slightly. 'I was looking forward to having some fun with them.' The sorceress said, then turned her attention back to Kaede. 'However, that is not why I came here. I am merely here to check up on you. And also, I came because Naraku has someone in his possession who claims to know you -- a girl by the name of... Kagome.'

Amaya paused for a minute to let these words sink in, revelling in the way the old woman's eye lit with fear. She smiled, a wholly evil expression that would strike foreboding into even the bravest hearts. 'So you do know her then?' She asked. 'That is good. I would hate to have had to punish the wench if she had been lying to me.'

Kaede's eyes narrowed. 'What business is she of yours? Why do ye come here to tell me this? What do ye want?'

Amaya raised an eyebrow. 'What makes you think I want anything?' She snorted. 'More importantly, what makes you think you have anything I want?' She shook her head and looked at her long black talon-like nails. 'No, I told you before, I am merely here to check up on you, and see that you are alive. I have business to attend to in Inuyasha forest as well.'

'What are ye doing there?' Kaede asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

'My business is none of your business.' The sorceress said, then looked back at her nails. 'I merely wish to make sure that this... this "bone-gobbling" well of yours is still intact.'

Kaede blinked, and her eyes narrowed further. 'And why would Naraku want to know about that?'

Amaya raised an eyebrow again. 'Naraku? No, you are mistaken, Kaede, Naraku did not send me.' She stood up and slowly began to climb up onto the pole, using a grace and balance that no other human could have possessed to perch upon it, her toes clenching around the edges, the wood digging into the soft, fleshy parts of her feet. 'It was the girl.' She said slowly, smiling at Kaede's shocked expression, before raising her arms, her cloak billowing around her.

The hurricane returned, hiding her from view yet again, forcing Kaede to step back and shield her eyes from view as objects were sent flying through the air.

Transformed back into her falcon form, Amaya spread her wings and, with an angry shriek at Kaede, took off into the sky, soaring up and out of sight before Kaede could even do anything.

The old woman stared after her for a moment, sadness filling her eyes. '_Oh, Amaya. Ye have let Naraku get too close to you and turn your heart to black with his poisons. His evil has twisted all your thoughts and intentions to doing his bidding.' _

She sighed and gently shook her head, pausing to look up when a single ray of sun managed to break through the clouds that had hung over the sky since Naraku had claimed the jewel.

Kaede stared at it, then turned her eyes back toward where Amaya had disappeared.

'_But perhaps' _Her thought continued '_Perhaps he does not have a full grip on you yet. Have ye found a friend in this darkness? One that might be able to shatter the walls of evil and hate surrounding your heart?' _

She stood there for a long time, just staring, the wind beginning to pick up violently around her, threatening a storm, and nearly tearing her tie from her hair.

Slowly, reluctantly, the old woman turned and went back into her hut to await whatever would come next.

END

A\N: Well that's all for now, the next chapter should be up soon enough (but don't be afraid to add a little encouragement by reviewing)!

**SPECIAL THANX TO: Silverhaired Nemesis, sourapple10000, TheyMadeMeDoIt, and Mustluvkits101**. You guys are the reason this chapter is up! GO YOU!


	13. The BoneGobbling Well

Hm. I just noticed that the name "Amaya" isn't as unpopular as I first thought. Oh well. I should have gone with a less obvious one anyway. It means Night-Rain.

I found out the meanings of several names and\or words in Inuyasha, so I thought I'd post them here just for entertainment(this has no impact on the story, so feel free to skip ahead): Tetsusaiga - means "Iron Pulverizing Fang", Tenseiga - means Heavenly Life Fang, Rin - companion or cold, Jaken - Hard-hearted, cruel and unkind (fits him well, doesn't it?), Kagura - a form of ancient shinto music and\or dancing, Inu no Taisho (Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's Father) - Lord of the dogs, Myouga - invisible council, Kouga - steel fang (I think that "ga" means fang. In fact, I'd be willing to bet on it!), Bankotsu - Ban kotsu means barbarian bones, but as a single word seems to translate as brut courage or recklessness, Banryuu - I'm not sure if this is right, but it seems to mean Barbarian kill or Barbarian axe, Jakotsu - Snake bone, Jakotsu-tou - snake bone sword, Kyoukotsu - bad luck\evil\dark\ skeleton\bones, Mukotsu - mist\fog bones, Ginkotsu - Silver bones, Renkotsu - ... I think the "ren" part of his name means to refine metal (either that or party\group\company) and, as usual, kotsu means bones, Hiraikotsu - seems to mean come flying (as of birds migrating) bones-- but again, I don't think this is entirely right. Not all of these will be entirely accurate, I'm afraid, but most of them seem to be pretty close. If I made a mistake, feel free to let me know and help me correct it.

Reviews:

-MustLuvKits101 - Alright! I'm glad that this story is appealing to so many people! (And thanks so much for the free advertising! )

-lunerfox - Is this soon enough for you?

-sourapple10000 - Yeah, expect a lot more of that. She's a very strange character that is still fairly fuzzy in my own mind and I'm not even entirely sure what her connection to Naraku will be yet, but I'm hoping it'll be good. Merry Christmas to you too:)

Okay, so things we learn from this chapter-- The bone-gobbling well is a fairly depressing place to be. Dead demons to not smell very good. Rat's are stupid. And choking to death on an orange is _not_ fun. Well, that's really more just something that _I_ learned, but...

**DISCLAIMER: **Do not, I repeat, Do NOT continue with the story if you first do not fully understand that, 1) I own none of the Inuyasha characters, and 2) that I make no money off of them. I do own the story and Amaya is most definitely mine, so don't try and take those. (I hate plagiarizers!)

The Bone-Gobbling Well

Amaya soared through the trees, the air lapping and twisting against her dark wings as she soared through it, her keen eyes searching...

And then she spotted what she sought.

An old, crumbling, and looking very much the worse for wear, well, no more than a deep hole in the ground and some wood at the top, and stones to make up the walls, that apparently gobbled up the bones of the demons that were thrown into it.

Slowly, she came to land on the edge of the well, staring down into it's deep depths, dipping low for a better look, before jerking back violently in disdain-- this well reeked of death!

It was a smell she was used to by now, but never from so many different demons at once.

She took an experimental sniff at the well and mentally wrinkled her nose. There must have been hundreds of demon corpses tossed into this well, and she could smell the rot of each and every one of them.

Spreading her wings, she lifted into the air, and then dove sharply down into the well, circling slowly around the short chamber at the bottom, before coming to rest on the rib bone of a long-dead demon that, from the smell, had been down here for several years. Maybe even decades.

She glared around in disgust at the graveyard before her, trying not to inhale the smell that attacked her senses and made her eyes water with it's strength.

'_What could that wench want with such a place as this?' _She wondered angrily as she glared at a skull near the far end of the well.

A large rat skittered out from under it, and she mentally smirked as it turned and glared at her, the creature clearly not smart enough to recognise her for her evil, nor as a predator (even in this form). She spread her large wings and swiftly swooped down upon the creature.

It skittered back under the skull, hoping to hide there, but her claws were strong, and the impact of them hitting the skull caused it to shatter.

The rat thrashed and let out a terrified shriek as her talons dug into it.

She squeezed harder and slammed the creature into the ground, her claws digging into it, her weight crushing it, until it was finally dead.

Smirking, she lowered her head and tore into the beast, swallowing down the flesh that, in her human form would have surely killed her, if not then at least made her very nauseated. However, in a bird form, it was natural for her to kill such vermin, and it had no effects on her whatsoever, save to replenish the energy that so quickly fled her when she was in this state.

She finished, leaving nothing but a small pile of bones in a puddle of red lying in the only bare spot that existed in the middle of the well.

Satisfied, she spread her wings and took off into the air, soaring up high and breaking free of the canopy of trees, heading back toward Naraku's castle to inform the damn miko of her find.

If she had stayed a little longer, or perhaps thought to turn back, she would have seen the bones of the rat slowly sinking down into the ground, before disappearing completely, carrying on the legend of the bone-gobbling well as they reappeared at the bottom of a well in a temple that existed in another time, a long time from happening.

But she did not turn back, and did not event think to look back.

She just flapped her mighty wings and gazed down at the dark, corrupted world before her, dipping low to the burnt and black lands to avoid flying through the thick, purple miasma that surrounded Naraku's castle, reeking of evil and death and the promise of nothing better to come, of no hope existing for tomorrow.

End

A\N: I don't know how accurate a description of the bone-gobbling well that was, because I really can't remember seeing it in it's entirety before, but I figured, it's a well, it "gobbles" bones, so this seemed to me like it would be something at least slightly accurate to what it looks like.


	14. Remember Tomorrow

A\N: Okay, this is posted fairly late in the day because I am currently at home with my family and we are preparing some sort of big Christmas eve get together. This is pretty much the first break I've gotten since this morning, and I am really fcucking tired now. I don't much like big blow-out things and\or crowds. In fact, if I had to choose one word to describe exactly how I feel about them, it would probably be "AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" -- but then, maybe that's not really a word.

Anyway, Merry Christmas eve to everyone, even though most people are gone to some place or another and probably won't be reading this till Monday or some similar time.

To the reviewers who got a chance to read and respond:

-TheyMadeMeDoIt - woah, I don't think anyone's ever called me "love" before-- are you English or something? Do they say love in England? Clearly I'm not up to date on my foreign dialects. Lol, I know exactly what you mean, I love hollidays, they're all lots of fun, but it's just too friggen hectic! I'll probably spend most of tonight locked up in my room just to avoid sitting quietly on the edge of a conversation the "adults" are having that I don't care about hearing anyway. I'm glad you liked the chapter-- I'm trying to make them good, but lately I've been running around out in stores, coming home and then running around there before realising I've forgotten something at the store or something and going back out to run around some more before coming home to finish my other running around and by that time I barely have the energy or enthusiasm or time left to right another chapter. Happy Holidays to you too!

-sourapple10000 - Well that's fine, just as long as you make sure to leave lots of reviews when you get back! Lol-- have a wonderful Christmas there!

-AidynFire - Alright! I rock! Lol, thanks! I'm glad I got Kaede down, I struggled with her a little bit, but in the end I think she worked out okay. Yep, Amaya is fairly mysterious isn't she, but I don't know when I'm going to explain her past and why she is the way she is, but it'll have to happen eventually. Anyway, I don't know if you're going anywhere for Christmas, so I'll say Merry Christmas to you wherever you are! I hope you get snow there-- it's just not Christmas without snow! Although, to some people it's not any day of the year without snow!

Anyway, I've ranted on long enough-- MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

...Bet you all thought I was going to say "and to all a good night" did you?

**DISCLAIMER:** Okay everyone, in the spirit of Christmas I'll keep this short and to the point-- I own no one in this story but Amaya. The rest of the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and I make no money off of them. The story belongs to me, so do not steal\plagiarize\rip or attempt to sell (yes, that has happened before) it. If you want a story that badly-- go write one. Or maybe ask Santa to Bring you one .

Remember Tomorrow

Kikyo stared and the hanyou in despair and sorrow.

He had been conscious for nearly two days now, and he had done little save stare out the window, his eyes seemingly unfocused, ignoring the rest of the world.

'Here.' She said quietly, smiling gently at the half-demon, though he did not look over as she set the plate of food down, sighing at the other un-eaten one. 'You must eat, you know.' She said quietly, gently brushing the hair away from his face.

Her fingers felt metal-- cold, but warmer than most metal as it was heated by flesh and blood, it's edges digging cruelly into the soft neck, abrading and chaffing it to no end.

'I will take this off of you.' She said quietly, running her hands around to the lock and clasp at the back. Her servants had broken then chain when they had first brought him to her, but they had been unable to remove the collar. 'I will find a magic to reverse his and you can be free again.'

Inuyasha blinked and looked over at her, his eyes wide and sad and so, so lost, and it made the human part of Kikyo want to weep in despair. 'Who am I, Kikyo?' He asked quietly, his voice still strained even after all this time.

'You are Inuyasha. A hanyou under my love and protection.' She said quietly, but he shook his head, his ears going back, and his eyes widening further with confusion and sadness.

'No.' He said, shaking his head. 'I know what I am.' He said quietly, turning slowly away from her to look at the rain falling outside the window. 'But _who_ am I? I can't remember anything, and I just... I feel so confused... so empty. I just...' He sighed deeply, and closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against the window in defeat and desperation. 'I just want to remember.'

Kikyo's heart broke slightly, and she gently placed a hand on his back, ignoring the way he shuddered in response. 'You will remember.' She said gently. 'I promise. I will help you remember. But not yet. You cannot remember yet.' She said, her voice low as she reached down and picked up the plate of food. 'For now... please just try and eat something. If you waste away and die... then you will never remember.'

Inuyasha stared up at her, tears in his eyes, but slowly, hands trembling, reached over and took the plate from her, sniffing at the food on it, his stomach growling loudly in response. It was merely some simple soup, but the hanyou downed it like it was the best thing he had eaten in months, and it probably was Kikyo reasoned after a moment of watching him eat.

When he was done he set the plate down and wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve. She had taken away his fire-rat haori, for it was badly damaged and incredibly dirty and she would need more fur from the fire rat before she could repair it.

'Thank-you.' He said quietly, handing the bowl back to her, his hands till shaking, but not nearly as much as before.

She smiled and placed a gentle hand on his forehead. 'You should sleep now.' She said quietly, beginning a slow, soothing strand of magic to help lull him to sleep. 'And do not fret, my love. You will remember. But not now. Save the memories for tomorrow.'

Inuyasha yawned widely, looking more like a helpless child than she had ever seen him, and he stretched, snuggling back into the pillows that littered the futon, his eyes drifting closed.

'_Sleep now, Inuyasha, and dream well. I will help you to remember.' _She thought as she stared at his peaceful expression.

Slowly, she got up and moved to the door, carrying his empty bowl with her as she slipped outside and shut the door, placing her sealing charms upon it again to keep all else out... and him in.

She stepped quietly down the hall, her mind still on his words, knowing that he was starting to remember some things on his own... some things she didn't want him to remember.

Setting his bowl down gently on a table, she moved and stared out at the rain, using her powers to perceive Naraku's castle in the distance, even though it should have been too far to see.

'_I will help you remember all that I wish you to remember.' _She thought as her eyes trailed a bird, a falcon of some kind or the other, flying low to avoid the thick miasma of Naraku's, perhaps not being evil or strong enough to survive travelling through it.

'She slowly turned away and began to walk back down the halls, her feet making no sound on the floor, for spirits did not have the power to make footprints or echo's. They could change the course of the future, but they could not really live, and so... they simply existed.

But Kikyo was not going to accept that. She had worked to long and too hard, been wrenched back from death more than once... and she was not going to give in so easily. Not when everything she desired was finally within her grasp.

'_Yes, my love, I will help you remember,' _She thought as she passed by Inuyasha's effectively sealed door again, pausing to stare at it and smile slowly. '_And I will help you to forget.' _She thought, the sound of peaceful silence on the other side of the door her only answer.

END


	15. Unexpected

AN: MERRY CHRISTMAS, FELIZ NAVIDAD, and all that other stuff!

Sorry it's taken me so long to update everyone! decided that I shouldn't be able to update until the31 (successfully disrupting my writing since the 25th with this thing.) for reasons I am unsure of. Anyway, I think I'm ableto update now,so I'm probably gonna have another updateup later today-- look for it! Happy upcoming new-year to everyone!

Reviewers:

Silverhaired Nemesis - Yeah, everybody's got lots to do right around now. She is a very selfish person in my mind. Otherwise she never would have wanted Inuyasha to become human so badly, and she never would have continually tried to drag him to hell. I don't much like Kikyo. She is very annoying.

MustLuvKits101 - Thanks! I did! I hope your christmas has been just as enjoyable (even though, really, it's just beginning). I was up till around 3:30 last night and got up and 7:30 and am seriously beginning to wonder if I'm turning myself into an insomniac. Other than that it was really great-- I got lots of gifts () and everybody enjoyed the gifts that I gave them. Somehow that seems to be even more enjoyable than getting gifts. Which is why I'm updating today-- consider it a kind of gift to you guys, cause originally I wasn't planning on doing so.

TheyMadeMeDoIt - Yeah, it is isn't it? Still, he should have some help soon enough-- either that or he'll fall back into Naraku's clutches or something equally as bad grins evilly. Man, I am so mean to the poor little hanyou. Of course, if I wasn't there would be no story. Did you really grow up near London? That's really cool. I am nowhere near you! (Even if you're now in Michigan)

sourapple10000 - , I'm glad I'm keeping you one your toes. I'm sorry you won't be able to review-- I like hearing your input. Plus this means you probably won't be updating for a while either. sighs.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU GUYS!

**DISCLAIMER -- **HEY GUESS WHAT! -- I DON'T OWN INUYASHA OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM THE SHOW. I DO OWN AMAYA AND THIS STORY, BUT I MAKE NO MONEY OFF OF ANY OF THESE THINGS!

Unexpected

Amaya paused in her flight as she felt something.

It was like a bolt of lightening hitting her as she slowly turned her head and spotted, what not ever her bird eyes should have seen, a pair of cold, dark, empty eyes staring over at her from a great distance, too great a distance for her to have been able to see, but some spell was connecting her to the lands of Naraku.

Swiftly, she turned, soaring in the direction of those eyes. She did not know how far away they were, how many mountains or trees the spell had allowed them to break through, but she had an idea of whose they were, and she wasn't about to let this opportunity slip through her... fingers.

She had not decided yet who she would go to with this information-- Naraku or Kagome.

She should got to Naraku-- he was her lord, she served him and in return got to rule her lands without his interference. But something about this miko... intrigued her to no end. Her _and_ the hanyou she seemed so desperate to find.

For she had been there when Naraku had first captured the hanyou. She hadn't been under Naraku's rule then, but she had seen it, the amount of trouble Naraku went through the catch him, the amount the hanyou struggled, and how hard Naraku worked to break him. She had seen him escape several times, and it had taken Naraku days to find him again. She had heard his screams of agony after when Naraku punished him.

The hanyou was powerful indeed, but could it really defeat Naraku?

She flew long, several hours must have passed, though there was no sun to mark the time, and then she saw it: The large, ornately made temple, carved into the side of the mountain. As she approached a barrier crackled in warning.

She quickly swooped down, landing on the thick branch of one of the many trees that grew upon the mountainside, staring intently at the barrier.

Experimentally, she used her beak and plucked a feather from her side and let it flutter toward the barrier.

The barrier hissed angrily in warning, but let the feather pass through unharmed, and Amaya cocked her head to the side, smirking.

This was a barrier for demons alone, to keep out dark magic. Since she was not a demon, and used no dark magic to transform, the barrier had no reason to keep her out.

Spreading her wings, she lifted up and soared through the barrier, shivering slightly at the feel-- like walking through a sheet of icy water, only to come out dry on the other side.

She could sense the power now, the spiritual energy that came from that woman, and she avoided it, flew away from it, heading instead toward the other energy she sensed.

She perched gently on the sill of the window, staring in at the figure resting inside for a moment.

He was clad in a simple, yet elegant white, silk robe, almost the same colour as his hair, his eyes were shut, and his chest was rising and falling gently. A metal band rested around his neck.

Gently, Amaya leaned forward and tapped her beak on the window, waiting for him to wake and acknowledge the sound.

It took several minutes before he finally cracked open his eyes, blinking around in confusion, before finally spotting her.

His eyes widened comically, and she could see the spark of fear in their golden depths.

She tapped again, gently, trying to make it appear that she was no more than a bird looking to get in.

Slowly he leaned over and unlatched the window, opening it and allowing her to fly in.

Immediately she noticed the demon soaring overhead, and without thought, she soared up, claws outstretched, beak open, and tore into the demon, killing it before it could make a sound.

She landed then on the edge of the futon, the hanyou's wide eyes upon her as they stared at one another.

Finally, after several minutes of silence, he reached a hand over and, of all the things he could have done, he gently stroked his hand down her head, over her back and along her wing.

She mentally glared, but refrained from moving or doing anything to startle him. If she were ever to speak to him, to reveal herself, she would first have to gain his trust.

So she sat where she sat, gazing steadily at him, and him at her, letting his trembling fingers stroke down her feathers, time seeming to stop so there was nothing but them in that moment, nothing but her staring into his eyes, lulling him into a sense of security.

The spell was broken as the faint sound of footsteps reached her ears, and she immediately tensed, spreading her wings and lifting into the air and out the window before the hanyou had a chance to respond.

She perched on a tree a good distance away where the priestess would be unlikely to detect her and waited.

Waited until it would be safe to return. Waited until it would be safe to reveal herself.

END

**OMFG! - **I FORGOT TO THANK PEOPLE LAST TIME! What's the point of having such wonderful reviewers if I never bother to thank them? -- **okay, so, thanks to: AidynFire (**who reviewed the last chapter), **MustLuvKits101 and Silverhaired Nemesis **(who reviewed this chapter) and **TheyMadeMeDoIt and sourapple10000 who reviewed both chapters! -- All you guys rock! FELIZ NAVIDAD!**


	16. Unknown

A\N: Happy new year everyone! I have been deprived of updates for a very long time, so this is the second one today, in honour of greeting the New year!

Thanks to all of my reviewers-- sorry for the delay!

**DISCLAIMER - **I own Amaya and the story. THAT'S IT! All the other characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi-- I make no money off of any of this.

Unknown

Inuyasha blinked in confusion as the large, beautiful bird suddenly took off out the window, then tensed, his ears twitching to catch the sound of footsteps outside his door.

He stared at the door, eyes glancing at the ceiling where the demon should still have been circling had the bird not killed it, then back to the door. The priestess had not been cruel to him yet, had been gentle and kind in fact, but he did not know how she would react if she came in and thought he had killed her servant.

The footsteps paused for a moment, then continued, and Inuyasha let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, not entirely sure why he was so nervous, only knowing that if Kikyo came through that door, something bad would happen.

A breeze filled the room, the scent of the past rain fresh and strong upon it, and Inuyasha shivered slightly in his thin clothing, reaching up to latch the window.

He drew back with a small cry of surprise when the bird flew back in, whizzing right past his hand, the soft feathers on the edge of its wing brushing swiftly against him as the bird flew in, circled the room once, then landed upon the back of the chair Kikyo always sat on when she came to visit with him.

Inuyasha stared at the bird for a moment, all his senses standing on end.

There was something... not quite right about it. It didn't feel the way a normal bird should have, and it certainly didn't act like one.

He gazed at it for a moment, and it looked back at him with sharp, knowing eyes, the kind that no bird should have possessed.

Finally, after a seconds hesitation, he said 'Who are you?'

The bird blinked and stared at him, not answering, and Inuyasha felt a moments uncertainty, had he been wrong? Was this really just some curious bird coming to find shelter from the previous storm perhaps?

But then the bird flutter down from the chair, landing gracefully on the floor before taking a few steps into the middle of the room, and spreading its wings.

Inuyasha thought it was going to leave again, and he started forward, not wanting it too, for it was the only company he had had other than Kikyo, but he stopped, eyes wide, as a small whirlwind surrounded the bird, wrapping around it and blocking it from view, growing rapidly in size.

After a moment, however, it disappeared, and in the place where the bird should have been stood a tall, elegant woman, with dark hair and clothes, and eyes that matched those of the bird.

Inuyasha stared up at her in wonder and confusion, for some reason not feeling frightened of this strange woman.

She stares at him calculatingly for a moment, before saying, her voice low, dark, and silky. 'Your name is Inuyasha, is it not?'

He hesitated a moment, wondering if he should tell her, before nodding, his eyes watching as she stared at him and slowly smiled.

'Hello, Inuyasha.' She said slowly. 'My name is Amaya. And I have some news for you... of someone you hold very deeply.'

Inuyasha perked his ears. Who could this woman possibly be talking about? He didn't recognise her, and he certainly couldn't think of anyone he knew and cared about deeply. So then who?

She paused and stared at him. 'You do not remember, little hanyou, do you?' She asked slowly, and Inuyasha's ears drooped slightly, as he shook his head. She sighed. 'I thought not. That priestess is keeping you here for reasons other than your well-being, or you could have remembered long ago.'

Inuyasha frowned in confusion at her words, and she shook her head.

'Never mind. For now that is not important.' She glanced around at the chair and moved toward it, gracefully setting herself down and folding her hands in her lap, the nails talons like his own, only dark and black.

'Now will you hear me out?' She asked, and Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, before nodding eagerly, and she smiled her dark smile, the stain on her lips darker than he had ever seen before... at least, that he could remember.

'Good' She said, settling more comfortably in the chair. 'Now tell me, little puppy, do you hold any meaning or memories of the name... Kagome.'


	17. Uncertain

A\N: Fire update of 2006! - HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!

I didn't go to sleep till 4 last night and I am sooooooooooo wired! Things seem to be deciding to get interesting in the story...

Reviewers!

-kaome-207 - Lol, well here more is!

- I'm glad you liked them! Whenever I review my chapters (usually several days after theyve already been posted) I think I'm moving too fast with them or sometimes not adding enough detail, but if you guys are happy with it, then... HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU TOO!

-sourapple10000 - He will likely get his memory back soon enough... the question is, will he want to keep it? Lol. Anyway, I look forward to seeing your next update as well, and until then, here's mine!

-Silverhaired Nemesis - You're one of those people who secretly adores Inuyasha's misery aren't you? Which is fine with me, because I'm one of them too.

AidynFire - My God. I've never been to texas but that sound really hot. I've been to Saskatchewan though, and they've got four seasons there: Windy, Glacier, Rainy, and ready for Nuclear Meltdown. Lol, maybe I'm exaggerating cause I come from a place where the winters are fairly warm because we get so many schnooks (is that how you spell it o0?) and the summers are fairly comfortable as well. Anyway, I forgot what my point was, so... Have a happy new year period!

Okay, that about cover them all? Then I guess it's time to move on with the story.

**DISCLAIMER - **Amaya is mine. The story is mine. Inuyasha is not. The rest of the Inuyasha characters are not. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I make no money off of any of these things.

Uncertain

'Now tell me, little puppy, do you hold any meaning or memories of the name... Kagome?'

Inuyasha blinked up at the woman and frowned. Kagome? Slowly, not entirely sure what this name _should_ mean to him, Inuyasha shook his head.

Amaya frowned. 'Nothing at all?' She sighed when the hanyou shook his head again. 'I should have expected no less. Your little priestess is setting some sort of barrier around your mind, the same sort Naraku was using I imagine.' She frowned again. 'But perhaps it is simply the word you do not remember. Maybe we should try another approach to this.'

She leaned forward, and Inuyasha shrank back slightly on instinct, but the woman did not come near him, she merely waved her hand in a slightly dismissive gesture, and instantly a picture appeared before them, large, extremely life-like and... moving.

A young girl with long, black hair and dark eyes bearing a strangely odd resemblance to Kikyo was smiling and waving at someone, her clothes were the strangest he had ever seen before.

He stared at it for a moment, his mind fighting with him over something he couldn't perceive.

And then she laughed and shouted 'Inuyasha!' and for a moment Inuyasha stared in confusion... then something inside him snapped and, though he still did not know who this girl was... he knew she was important to him, that she was kind to him and that he _knew_ her... but he couldn't remember.

The image faded, and he found himself again looking at the sorceress who stared calmly back at him, her dark eyes glittering slightly.

He stared at her in confusion, feeling the beginnings of tears in his eyes, but not understanding... what was this woman here for anyway? What did she want?

He trembled, looked away in desperation and confusion, a war that he was not really apart of raging on inside his mind... inside his heart.

'Inuyasha.' The woman said again, and Inuyasha looked up at the woman, her face hard and serious.

'Do you want to see more?' She asked.

Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, eyes wide and filled with tears. Did he?

All these memories and all these little bits of broken puzzle pieces... they all hurt him so much to have but... somehow it hurt more to go without them.

He wanted it all back so much. But he didn't want _this_... this pain and confusion and fear of what was still lying hidden in the depths of his mind. He didn't want this feeling of foreboding and being trapped. He didn't want any of it... anymore.

'Inuyasha.' The woman said again, but Inuyasha didn't bother to look up immediately.

He wanted to know, he wanted it all back, but he didn't want any of this confusion or this sense of fear and loss, he didn't want to _not_ know... but which did he want more?

Slowly he looked up at her, and he could see her eyes glittering slightly, as though she already knew his answer.

'What do you want, little puppy?' She asked him, and he stared at her, hard at her, met her eyes and the challenge there, knowing she was daring him to say no, to tell her to leave and not return, to say that he was happy... the way he was.

He lifted his chin slightly, his ears flattening as he met her challenging eyes, his own glittering back in response.

'I want to know.' He said slowly, firmly, but quietly, and then with more strength 'I want to know.' And she raised an eyebrow.

'Are you sure? Once you go there, you cannot go back. Are you sure you wish to know?'

Inuyasha stared at her, and then nodded slowly. 'Yes. Please... show me.'

'You are very brave, puppy, for thinking you could take this on, let alone survive it... or perhaps you are simply very naive and foolish.' She said, and Inuyasha stared at her in confusion. 'You say you want this, yet you do not fully understand the circumstances with which it must be received.'

**SPECIAL THANKS GO TO: kaome-207**, **TheyMadeMeDoIt**, **sourapple10000**, **Silverhaired Nemesis**, and **AidynFire** - The wonderful reviewers of this (and the last) Chapter! Thanks so much you guys! Have a happy new year!


	18. Faith in the Forgotten

A\N: I really should leave you guys dangling a bit longer, but I just couldn't do that-- you guys are too wonderful to resist! So here's the next chapter (Waaaaaaaay earlier than I expected, but I'm in a good mood.)

(Any readers who don't really care about what's gone on in my life recently, just skip over this part-- it's only here cause I'm in a ranting mood and have nothing really to talk about)

Well, let's see, what can I say? I haven't ranted in a while... oh yeah, I went to one of the worst movie stores in the world the other night. You could get seven movies for seven nights for seven bucks, but they only had some movies with stickers on them. It was fun trying to figure out which ones were in that deal, until you went up and found out that everything but the new releases were. Also, they sucked at categorizing. Since when is LoTR FoTR a comedy? And, was it just me, or does anybody else feel that "gone with the wind" does not quite qualify as a sci-fi?

Still, we got some good movies (most of which we have seen)-- including Simone, Chocolate and The Butterfly Effect. I actually haven't watched the last one, but the first two are a couple of my favs. We also got "The big Chill" Which really doesn't have a point to it, but is still a fairly fun and worth-watching movie to see. Kevin Costner plays a corpse whose face we never see!

Anyway, that's enough of that, on to the reviewers:

-lunerfox - Will this do?

-sourapple10000 - The question is not "what" but "how" which you will find out soon enough if you keep reading. Happy 2006 to you!

ultimateromantic - I'm glad you're taking the time to catch up then! I'm definitely getting faster at updating now that is actually _letting_ me do it again. What was that all about anyway?

rena555 - ... huh? I'm sorry, I'm afraid you're not understanding... I didn't see you say Merry Christmas... or did I say something about it?... I get the feeling that, sometime, somewhere, I missed something... I don't mind "Merry" or "Happy" because they mean the exact same thing, so why should I care if someone says the one that I don't?... Well, anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and I hope you do continue to read (and review) cause that's all that keeps it going.

**DISCLAIMER - **I am too tired to write a proper disclaimer. Just look at the disclaimers on my last chapters and follow those. Also, those disclaimers (in case I forget to add one) apply to all future chapters as well.

Faith in the Forgotten

Amaya smiled at the hanyou. He was nervous, he was uncertain, but he was agreeing. He wanted his memories back enough to risk the insanity that may follow from it, which she was certain he could feel pressing in even now.

'You are very brave, puppy, for thinking you could take something like this on, let alone survive it... or maybe you are simply very naive and foolish.' She said, taking in Inuyasha's confused expression. 'You say you want this, yet you do not fully understand the circumstances with which it must be received. And yet... you do not ask to know.' She gave him an amused glance. 'Perhaps it is a means of self preservation, or you are simply stupid enough to believe that there are none. And still you insist you want this, despite its dangers.' She shook her head, still smiling at him like he was some stupid, simple child who knew nothing of the world, let alone this. And it made Inuyasha angry, an anger that had not boiled up in him since... he could not remember when.

'You know this is dangerous.' She said, taking note of his expression, and choosing to heed it instead of driving the hanyou to further anger and irrationality.

'What do you mean?' He asked, his voice quiet and unsure, his eyes narrowed and slightly angry, ears back slightly. He looked strange, like a lost puppy trying to defend itself from something it wasn't entirely sure was an enemy. Amaya resisted the urge to smack him.

'I mean exactly what I say.' She said in a bored tone, not particularly interested in the subject, simply wanting to either get on with it, or leave. 'Your memories have been pushed back long by enchantments, and while the spells were cast well enough, they may have damaged your ability to recollect those memories.'

Inuyasha blinked and looked away from her, all anger gone from him, his brow pulled together in a concerned and thoughtful expression. 'I already have some memories.' He said quietly. 'They're vague... but I know they're there. I can't remember who anyone is though, or why I know them or... what they mean to me...'

Amaya nodded. 'That is an effect of the spells cast by Naraku and your Miko.' She said, flicking something off of her kimono.

He frowned up at her and shook his head. 'That can't be right. Why would they want me to forget?'

Amaya raised an eyebrow. 'You question my word about this, puppy? You are hardly in a place to do so, I could kill you as easy as I killed that demon guarding you, easier since I am now in my proper form.' Inuyasha tensed and she rolled her eyes. 'Relax. If I had wished to kill you, I would have done so already. No, I merely came to investigate if it was you I was truly sensing down here. You see, Kagome is very worried about you.'

Inuyasha blinked and stared at her with wide, troubled eyes.

'Yes, you can feel her can't you? Her memory? She's in there, calling to you, just out of your reach. Behind a barrier set up by your master and miko.' She lowered her voice to barely above a whisper, knowing it was taking effect.

'The price of this experience could well cost you your sanity.' She said in a low hiss, leaning closer to the hanyou. 'But that is a problem that can be fixed... with time.' She said, her breath whispering across his furry ear, onto his neck, making him shiver.

'Do you want to remember?' She asked quietly. 'Do you want to know who Mirko, Sango, Kirara, Shippo... and Kagome are? Why they mean so much to you?' She hissed, and the hanyou's ear flicked back toward her. 'Do you want to know why you feel such fear and confused hate toward Kikyo... such rage toward your master, and such depressed hate for Sesshomaru.' Inuyasha's brow furrowed because he hadn't heard many of these names before in his life, he was sure, and yet... somehow they all seemed familiar, and all of what she said he did feel.

She pulled back slightly, and moved around toward his other ear. 'Do you want to remember your family, your mother and father... your brother. Or...' She said, her voice a low hiss, before pulling away entirely and taking her seat. 'Do you want to continue on living with useless fragments of your life you know nothing about?' She asked in her normal tone.

Inuyasha blinked at the sudden change of tone, and stared at the woman. A minute ago it had all seemed a lot less complicated, but the decision had been difficult to make.

Now she tempted him with so much more, but dangled a warning in front of him as well. She said that insanity could be fixed but... was she lying? Would she cast some spell to make him insane and then just leave him like that?

'Think about it Inuyasha.' She said quietly. 'Go back to the way you were, with memories and love and life... or remain an obedient puppy to one person or another, never understanding why it's this way, just knowing that there is no longer an escape, you passed up that chance... and living always in wonder of what these fragments of your life mean. Until they too are erased.'

Inuyasha stared at her and saw the glitter in her eyes once more. He hardened his face in determination, rising up to meet her challenge, because yes he wanted it all back, and he would risk loosing his mind if it meant he had a chance to regain all that once existed inside it.

'I want this.' He said quietly, and she smiled. 'No second thoughts?' She asked. He made a low growl in his throat and she smirked. 'Alright then.'

She lifted her hand and pointed it at him, and for a moment nothing happened. Then, a long, silvery thread, nearly invisible save for the glinting of light catching it every so often, like a spider's strand, began to pull out from the tip, sliding through the air toward him.

Inuyasha tensed, and Amaya looked up from the thread toward him, though the thread continued, only a few inches from his head now. 'Relax, puppy. This won't hurt a bit.' The thread moved, weaving it's way up to his ear, which he flicked back, flattened, trying despite her words to make it leave him alone. However, it was all to no avail.

The thread followed his movement, and then, in an instant of confusion, fear and darkness, the thread slipped inside. And Inuyasha opened his mouth to scream as he fell into the pit of darkness, though no sound was to be heard.

A\N: Well hows that for a bit of a Cliffy?

Lol, it's always good to keep readers on the edge-- that's what keeps them interested after all.

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: lunerfox**, **sourapple10000**, **ultimateromantic**, and **rena555** who are the reviewers of the last chapter and the reason this chapter is posted so soon.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU GUYS! Enjoy the 365\364 days you have left of it, cause before you know it, they're going to be gone!


	19. Completing Memories

A\N: Phew This chapter is looooooooooooooong. Well, at least compared to some of the other chapters. .

Well lets see, it's the second day of the new year and there's nothing much going on with me right now, which means I shouldn't be ranting very much at the moment. Still haven't seen "The butterfly effect" but I plan on it really soon. Maybe after that I'll watch my favourite sci-fi "Gone with the wind" (note-- I also have never seen this movie simply because I have no real interest in it-- I don't much go for old movies about war and romance... which explains why I'm writing a story about a fantasy war and romance...)

And there you have it-- more facts you never really wanted to know about me and my life. In case you people haven't noticed, I take a very sadistic pleasure in anything stupid in life (which is the only reason I can put up with myself I suppose) and openly enjoy it when people (myself included) make mistakes.

Anyway, that was more pointless ranting that could've and should've been avoided, so lets get on to the reviews before I start up again:

lunerfox - Are you trying to tell me you actually _read_ that pointless gibberish I post at the top? Wow... I'm touched... lol. Anyway, glad you're enjoying the story!

rena555 - yeah, he's getting his memory back, but not without a few little twists and complications added in there. Read on to find out what I mean. (Oh, and I don't mind you being a bit confusing -- I usually am myself 98 of the time... and the other 2 is when I'm sleeping. )

**DISCLAIMER -** Oi, get it through your heads already will ya? I don't own Inuyasha or the other characters from the anime and I make no money off of them. Amaya is mine. The story is mine. And that's about bloody well all. If you don't like the other characters then blame Rumiko Takahashi-- she's the one who made them!

Completing Memories

He was lost.

Lost in a darkness in his mind, the occasional flashes of pictures-- of memory-- appearing and disappearing as suddenly as lightening, too quick to see.

He frowned, panic beginning to rise through him.

He could hear the sounds of people running, wooshing behind him, but when he turned there was no one there.

'_Inuyasha' _

Voices whispered. Inuyasha, spun, his ears twitching, trying to find their owners, but never seeing anything more than the darkness.

'_Inuyasha' _

'Hello?' He asked nervously, not liking this at all.

'**_Do you hear them Inuyasha?' _**The voice of that woman asked, and Inuyasha spun around again, though she wasn't there.

'Who are they?' He asked nervously, not knowing if she could hear him or not, but hoping she could.

'**_They are all your memories. All the people in your life--' _**

'_Inuyasha' _The whispering, echoing voices called, sounding slightly more desperate, demanding now.

'**_They are calling for you, Inuyasha.' _**

'_Inuyasha!' _

'What do they want?' He asked, his voice shaking, fear lacing each word as another... whatever it was, slipping past behind him.

'**_They want you Inuyasha. They want to come to you. But they can't. They are trapped by the barrier.' _**

'_Inuyahsa!' _

'**_You can help them. You can set them free, bring them to you.' _**

A flash behind him, momentarily blinding him. 'How?' He asked, feeling slightly desperate.

'_Inuyasha!' _

'**_Call them, Inuyasha. Call them to you, as they call to you. Let them come.' _**

'But I don't know who they are!' He shouted, turning in a circle.

'_INUYASHA!' _The voices yelled, somehow still maintaining the hissing sound of a whisper.

The woman didn't answer, and Inuyasha's ears flattened, his eyes wide in panic. 'Hello?' He called. His only answer was the sound of the voices again, fainter than ever before. '_Inuyasha...' _

Inuyasha began to panic, because he had this feeling that once those voices disappeared, they wouldn't come back again. So he called the only name he could remember, the only name he felt would help. 'Kagome!'

A silence filled the area, and Inuyasha spun around in panic. For several minutes, or maybe years, Inuyasha couldn't tell, he stood there in the darkness, nothing happening.

Then, soaring through the air with a similar sound to those of Kikyo's demons, the small silver thread appeared through the darkness, glowing softly.

Inuyasha watched as it began to weave through the air around him, surrounding him in it.

He felt very claustrophobic like that and began to panic, looking for a place he could escape from it, but it was already to late. The thread had surrounded him and was slowly covering the gap above him, which would have been too high to jump from anyway.

He stood there for a moment, waiting, and nothing happened. Then the string began to morph into something else, colours and objects and... people.

Memories began to appear, sometimes completing themselves, sometimes fading away into darkness before they finished, leaving Inuyasha confused and desperate for more, his mind spinning, not entirely sure where or when these things happened.

People came that he began to slowly recognise.

A man, a monk judging by the way he was dressed, holding a staff with some bangles of some kind or another at the head, a string of blue prayer beads wrapped around his wrist, and Inuyasha knew before the image progressed what they were concealing.

A small kitsune youkai, who, even as Inuyasha heard his own yelling voice resounding around the space, he felt a strange fondness and protectiveness over.

A woman with an incredibly large weapon slung over her back, her eyes set and determined, even as she lifted the thing over her head and swung it at him, yet, though in the memory he could feel confusion and rage at her actions, he knew that, in the end, she was on his side.

And as each image ended, the names of whoever it was he had just seen came to his mind. Miroku, Shippo, Sango, and there was Kirara, the dark demon aura surrounding her as she helped him train, fire blazing from her feet as she was surrounded by a dark spiral of wind, his own red wind blazing around him even as he lifted his sword, searching for the wind scar.

And then there was Kikyo. Inuyasha was slightly confused at this, because he had been unsure if he had actually known the woman before now, but it seemed, judging by the way she looked up at him, with deep dark _human_ eyes for once, after her foot caught on the edge of the dock, and Inuyasha was stormed with the strange emotions his memory-self experienced as he let the pole he held clatter to the ground and embraced the human.

Inuyasha watched in confusion as the memory seemed to melt, him and Kikyo shifting slightly, but never really changing their position, and then he was in that clearing again with Kikyo's cold arms-- the ones he was familiar with-- wrapped possessively around him, his lips tingling from the traces of the kiss left behind and... hold on a sec... kiss? Inuyasha's eyes widened as he realised that, yes, he had kissed her.

He was considering contemplating this more, when suddenly Kikyo spoke. '_If I stopped time, would you agree to that?' _Her memory echoed, and Inuyasha felt like he should say no, but he really had no say in the matter because this wasn't _him_... at least, not really, and his memory self, defying all the thoughts of confusion and warning currently rushing through the present Inuyasha's mind, answered her with a single '_yes.'_

And then the dark took him. For a moment, Inuyasha thought the memory was changing, but no, he could still _feel_ Kikyo's arms around him, and he could hear wind rushing as light blazed before his eyelids, even as his body immobilized and all thought seemed to flee him.

For a second or an eternity his memory-self stayed like that not moving, even while Inuyasha felt panic rising in himself, conveniently forgetting that nothing too bad could have happened to him here, because he _was_ still alive, and then a voice came, strangely familiar and very close, echoing in that way that all the dream voices seemed to. '_INUYASHA!' _And there was panic and fear in that voice, desperation, and Inuyasha felt his memory-self answer with a sudden panic of his own, a rage at whatever had caused those emotions in that voice, and his eyes snapped open, searching through the wind flashing violently around them until landing on... her...

'Kagome?' Inuyasha muttered, his mind whirling in confusion, matching and surpassing that of his memory-self. What was she doing here? Was this some trick his mind was pulling on him? Was he, in fact, succumbing to the insanity the sorceress had spoken of?

He watched as his memory-self suddenly wrenched himself away from the arms of Kikyo, leaping toward Kagome, who was lying at the base of the tree Kikyo's servants had encircled moments before.

Inuyasha wanted to see more, but suddenly the memory faded away and was replaced with a very familiar one, and any feelings of anger or desperation to keep the previous one until it finished vanished as he realised exactly which memory it was.

And that it was completing itself.

The girl-- Kagome, he knew now, clung to the edges of the well and stared up at... him. He was falling slowly to the ground, staring at her with the same sort of look she held in her own eyes, as well as a great deal of confusion-- what was she doing here?

His memory-self landed several feet away from her, and for a moment they stared at one another as she pulled herself out.

'_What are you doing here?' _His memory-self said suddenly, the words that he had heard so many times, but had been unable to recognise as belonging to anyone... let alone himself. '_I told you never to return!' _He said, an anger he was far from feeling tinting his voice.

The emotion quickly changed to surprise and uncertainty as the girl ran toward him, arms outstretched, and flung herself against his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso in an embrace that suggested she never wanted to let go. '_Inuyasha!' _She said, clinging more tightly to him, and he stared down at her uncertainly.

The vision began to blur and fade and suddenly it disappeared completely and darkness surrounded him.

For a brief moment he was back in his room, sitting on the futon, the sorceress staring at him with eyes clouded over, concentrating and muttering under her breath, the string still weaving from her finger, but slowly loosing the faint glow that clung to it.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask what happened, but pain shot through his head and darkness resubmerged him, cutting off all thought, and he collapsed on the futon, exhausted, and knew no more.

Amaya's eyes slid back into focus as she felt the connection completely break at last, and she lowered her hand, staring down at the hanyou.

She should leave now, go back before Naraku missed her, but then the hanyou would be likely to wake up thinking it was all a dream, and unprepared to protect his mind from the clutches of the miko-- of his old love.

Amaya knew now, not just from what Kagome had said, because she had seen his memories as well.

That's why this technique could be mortally dangerous, long after the spell was broken, for an enemy or friend turned against you could easily use those memories against you, to bring you down. She had no interest in that, however, and she stood slowly, wrapping her arms around the torso of the hanyou and pulling him up so his head rested on the headrest, pulling the silky blankets around his body, unconciously smiling at the picture he made, before sitting back to wait for the hanyou to wake up.

END

A\N:

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: lunerfox** and **rena555** who are the completely awesome reviewers of the last chapter and the reason that this one is up!


	20. Mind Control

A\N: Well I have now seen the Butterfly effect, both the theatrical and the directors cut (which, I only noticed three alterations in-- one being the alternate ending) and I gotta say, the theatrical is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better. Plus, they screwed up in the directors cut (for those of you who haven't seen the movie and are planning on it DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS CAUSE IT'LL SPOIL IT FOR YA!) When Evan and his mom had just seen the fortune teller, his mom said that she had been pregnant twice before him and they had both been stillbirths. When Evan's strangling himself, however, and he here's those different people's voices, his mom's says "I was pregnant three times before you and they were all stillbirths". Not only that, but don't you think another stillbirth would have had an ever-so-slightly traumitizing effect of Evan's mother? Yeesh.

Anyway, other than the alternate ending, I loved the movie, and it's well worth seeing (if anyone here values my opinion on movies ) plus I found a great new song on it-- Stop crying your heart out - by Oasis. That makes three of their songs that I've heard and liked .

So, what was I ranting on about?

... Well, doesn't matter anyway, I'm done now I guess, so I'm going to answer the reviews!

-lunerfox - Of course you do, otherwise you wouldn't still be reading the story, now would you?

-Darkened Maturity - Soon enough for you? -- And sorry, you reviewed once before, and somehow, for reasons I cannot even begin to fathom, I listed you as kaome-207... I blame it all on the medication. (lol, jj)

-AidynFire - I don't know, I don't think I've ever heard it. I love hearing different interpretations on most things, but memories can be one of the most fascinating. Like I never completely understood why some memories stand out so clearly in my mind, while other, seemingly more important memories, faded into the background or were pretty much lost completely. It never really made sense to me...

-sourapple10000 - Lol, I'll try. I'm sorry about you reviewing the last chapter, I guess your review hadn't posted in time before I posted the next chapter, and I just didn't realise that I had missed a person... so, yep, the possibility of an insane Inuyasha (though not an entirely strong possibility) and hopefully a few more explanations to previous questions asked (though maybe not by you). -- and please don't feel too bad about me missing you-- I've done it a couple of times by accident. In fact, a few chapters ago I accidentally listed a person as someone else when I responded to them, which I am now apologizing for.

And to everyone who's been inquiring about Sango and Miroku, I think I might be able to squeeze them into one of the upcoming chapters.

**DISCLAIMER **- Oi, do I really _have _to keep doing this? Don't you guys get it yet? I DON'T OWN INUYASHA! Yeesh. I own none of the other characters from the anime either. I own this story and I own Amaya and that is just about it. I make absolutely 0 dollars off of this, and that's about exactly how much you'll be getting if you try and sue me.

If you all understand that, the please go on with the story.

Mind Control

Inuyasha's eyes snapped wide open the moment consciousness returned to his body, and he slightly regretted the action immediately afterward because, even though the pale glint of the moon was the only thing lighting the room, it seemed incredibly harsh and violent to his eyes after so long in the darkness, a brilliant flash in the murky depths of his mind as it fumbled around with the new pieces of memory it had suddenly been given access to.

'You're awake.' A soft voice said next to him, and Inuyasha tensed slightly, then relaxed again as he realised it was not Kikyo.

Slowly, ignoring the pounding in his head, he sat up and turned to face the sorceress.

She was sitting in the chair still, as though she had not moved at all in the time he had been asleep, only there was something different... in her lap was a thick metal band, it's edges blackened and cracked-- like the trees he had seen after a particularly violent thunder youkai had set a storm upon the village he had lived in when he had still been very young.

Inuyasha froze as he realised that this was a memory-- and not one he had seen while under the spell. Did this mean they were returning on their own?

'How do you feel?' The woman asked, her voice low, as though she could sense the pounding in his mind, the way it protested even this low murmur, and he blinked. 'I... remember.' He said slowly, and she nodded.

'That _was_ the purpose of the spell, you know. And you did say you wanted it.'

He nodded, and then scrunched up his face in pain as his head throbbed violently in protest. 'My head hurts.' He said quietly, more a statement in general than a complaint.

The sorceress nodded, then leaned forward and lightly touched two fingers to his temple. Inuyasha tensed, expecting to be put to sleep the way Kikyo did. However, after a moment the pain began to dull down to a faint, distant throb and it became slightly clearer to think. He relaxed slightly, and she sat back, apparently satisfied.

'How long was I asleep?' He asked after a minute.

She looked at him consideringly, then said 'three hours.' Inuyasha blinked in surprise. He knew he had slept long, but he had not thought it to be _that_ long. What if Kikyo had come...?

'You're priestess did come to check on you. Luckily enough I had enough sense to disguise myself as her servant, so she suspected nothing.'

'_Holy fuck, since when was she a mind reader?' _Part of Inuyasha's newly restored mind wondered.

'I am not reading your mind.' She said. 'I have cast a spell to temporarily connect our minds-- to ease your pain, and to aide you in figuring out the memories you are experiencing.'

He frowned. 'Well why the fuck can't I see your thoughts then?' He demanded angrily, a fire he knew was linked to his former self roaring to life within him, and, though tiny voice inside him that was the new-old him screamed at him to shut up before she tore his fucking throat open, the other part, the newer part, didn't care. It was a strange feeling to not give a damn that this witch might threaten him in some way for insolence against her, and he was shocked by the feeling. After so long of following orders, demands, always showing submissive respect... a strange, angry pride was rising to life, and it would not let itself be subdued. The woman looked at him and cocked an eyebrow.

'Because, even if your mind were not in it's current weakened condition, you're powers do not extend to that of such sorcery as this-- the very attempt to return this spell upon me would break your mind entirely, more than Naraku or Kikyo ever did.'

He frowned, opened his mouth to say something, then stopped as something-- a memory-- flashed violently through is mind, cutting off his thoughts and distracting him, vanishing before he had the ability to see what it was.

He scrunched up his face again in confusion and irritation.

'You will find your memories to be very complicated and hard to sort for a while. That is why I connected us-- so I could help you learn to control your mind again, and to block out Kikyo and Naraku's spells. Of course,' She said, raising the metal collar 'once I removed this article, I found something of interest that should certainly aide in the process of you regaining control.'

She held up a small shard of a jewel that shimmered black and silver in the moonlight. Inuyasha's hackles raised instinctually, because he now knew what that was, and he knew why he had hated it and feared it so much.

'The Shikon no Tama.' He snarled angrily, as memories of his abuse, of his quest to collect the jewel shard rose up, and he growled without realising it.

'Yes... your former master Naraku inserted a few shards into you. The fool-- for now he may never see them again, and he will not be able to complete the jewel.'

Inuyasha frowned. 'You mean he didn't complete it?' He asked, and she stared at him in something akin to amusement or maybe irritation, and then said 'He completed it. And once he did the jewel immediately became the tainted colour of black and the soul of the Miko inside of it was almost entirely defeated.'

Inuyasha stared at her, confusion evident on his face. 'So what happened? Did Naraku become a full demon?'

The sorceress had a thoughtful look on her face, and slowly shook her head. 'No he did not.' She said, and looked thoughtfully at the jewel shard clutched between her fingers. 'A strange thing, this jewel. It's made up of the souls of demons and a ningen priestess, and it promises those who can claim it power beyond their wildest dreams. Yet it brings those with evil intent-- the very ones it's promise sings the loudest to, nothing but pain and misery.' Her eyes flickered and she looked up at Inuyasha's face again. 'The jewel, once complete, though tainted and nearly completely overthrown with evil, would not accept Naraku as it's master and would not grant his wish for power.'

Inuyasha blinked in surprise as he stared at the woman. 'Why not? It already allowed him to manipulate the shards to his will, why wouldn't it turn him into full-youkai?'

The sorceress inclined her head gently. 'That is true-- the shards alone were able to be manipulated. The reason behind that, I believe, is that, when the jewel was broken, so were the souls inside it-- though they continued to battle. The souls, being in pieces, were weak and easily corrupted, and they longed for any source of power that would aide them in their quest to destroy the other, accepting the fact that they would be manipulated to the will of whoever's aura they absorbed-- good or bad.' She turned the jewel shard in her fingers and it glittered wickedly back, a malevolent glow surrounding it and growing stronger with each word she spoke.

'However, when the shards were combined fully, the souls too were brought back together, and their battle resumed-- only this time, fully restored, the soul of demon was able to absorb in much of Naraku's evil and power for it's own, and it broke Midoriko, for she refused to absorb the demon's evil aura. Only after did the demon realise that she could not be killed, that neither of them could be killed by the other, only suppressed. And so Midoriko lives on in the depths of the jewel, though she is a prisoner of the youkai, who, in his full power, refuses to relent his hold or his power to any-- not even Naraku. Midoriko must realise now that she cannot kill the demon, only fight him to gain control of the power of the jewel and restore those who have been tainted by it. The jewel cannot be destroyed by the souls of the dead who reside inside of them-- only by the hands of the living who reside outside the jewels depths.'

She looked and Inuyasha thoughtfully. 'She is much like you were-- trapped in walls of evil that forever were bent to suppress her... only she has no escape.'

Inuyasha stared at her, his brow knitted together as he thought this all over, and then he frowned. 'Wait a minute, back up... so all in all what you're saying is that... this damn jewel is utterly useless?'

The sorceress raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. 'It is only useless in the terms that were originally set for it. However, the purified jewel shards could sustain life-- though that person would ever be in danger of having their shard corrupted. It can give power as well, though not the kind most wish or think it would. Like the shards that were in the legs of your friend.'

Inuyasha blanched as he suddenly remember the wolf-youkai who he had fought with repeatedly over Kagome. What had happened to him?

'He is still alive.' The woman said. 'Naraku took his shards but, after realising that he could not use the full jewel for his intent, he placed the tainted shards back in his legs and now the ookami serves him as one of his mightiest warriors.'

'Stupid baka wolf. I always knew he'd go running to whatever side was strongest.' Inuyasha muttered, rage filling him at the thought of the wolf's betrayal.

The woman frowned. 'You misunderstand, hanyou. He serves him because the shards control him-- not because he has the will to do so. He fought Naraku with all of his being. Unfortunately, that is not enough to withstand the power of the corrupted soul in the jewel.' She said matter-of-factly, before standing up.

'Now then, as interesting as all this is, I really must go-- Naraku will be expecting me soon, as will your little miko and ningen friends-- and yes, they are still alive as well, though I do not know for how much longer. I will take this' she held up the fragment 'for safekeeping.'

'Keep it.' Inuyasha snarled in disgust. 'And, if you try to use it, may it bring you as much happiness as it did me.'

'Do you really think the jewel to be so evil, puppy?' She asked, cocking an eyebrow. 'After all, it brought you Kagome.'

Inuyasha had no reply to that, and could do nothing but stare at her, his eyes comically wide with surprise at her words.

She offered him a small smirk, and turned toward the window again, pausing on the ledge and turning back to him. 'If you need me, simply call for Amaya in your mind. I will bring you whatever aide I may at the time.' She added, almost as though in an afterthought. Inuyasha blinked, surprised by this act of kindness.

'Thank-you.' He said quietly, and she snorted. 'I don't do it for you, baka hanyou. I do it for the miko friend of yours who is locked away in her prison, waiting for news of you-- which she expects me to bring. Another reason why I must leave immediately.' She turned away, and then looked back over her shoulder. 'And please, do try not to reveal too much to Kikyo-- it would be a shame for her to find out so soon into the process and have to start all over. I may even have to kill the miko if it comes to that, and I don't think you want that.' She said quickly, before turning and disappearing into the night, leaving a stunned Inuyasha behind her, staring out the window at her transformed self as, with a cry that filled the empty night-sky, she soared away into the distance, leaving Inuyasha alone again. At least for the time being.

END

A\N: For those of you who don't know, ookami means wolf. If I start using more foreign words maybe I'll just open up a glossary at the bottom of chapters so people know what the hell I'm talking about (though that only extends to foreign words... )


	21. A Ray of Light

A\N: You know, one of these days I am finally gonna have a clue as to what's going on, and maybe then I'll stop making a fool of myself. I doubt it though.

To Kaome207, a.k.a. darkened maturity - I'm afraid I only just now realised your name change, so I apologise for apologizing-- I guess when you changed your name the review names listed also changed and I got confused. Anyway, I, hopefully, am on the right track now, so...

sourapple10000 - Lol, I know, I hate her too. She's just so fucking annoying and useless. GET OVER IT ALREADY AND GO ROT IN THE GROUND LIKE A GOOD CORPSE IS SUPPOSED TO! Yeesh! Lol, anyway, even though I don't like her, I had to have her in the story for obvious reasons. If the barrier around Mt. Hakurei were still up, we should shove her through just to fucking cut her off and purify her demon's asses!

Darking Queen - Lol, I'm glad you like her, I'm trying to make her believable which (even though this is the feudal era and thus can have just about any sort of character) can be difficult sometimes-- I don't want to make her seem annoying either, cause she seems so powerful. She is, in reality, but she's also got a weakness, which we'll probably learn about in future chapters.

Anyway, I realised a few minutes before I posted this that, somehow, somewhen, anonymous reviewers were cut off from posting to this and all of my stories. I have now righted that error, so anyone who wants to post anonymously may do so.

That's about all that's happening at the moment.

And to the Miroku and Sango fans, I didn't forget my promise, they will be in one of the future chapters, but not this one, I still have some things I have to deal with first before we reach them. Soon though.

**DISCLAIMER - **Own none of the Inuyasha characters, but I can pretend can't I?

A Ray of Light

Kagome's head snapped up as she heard the door to the prison opening.

The guards had brought her food and water yesterday (or maybe it was still today) so it couldn't be them back, and only one other person ever came down to see her.

She immediately scrambled forward toward the bars and stared at the stairs and Amaya descended, swifter than normal, and came to stand in front of her.

'I have news.' She said slowly 'of Inuyasha.'

Kagome blinked, slightly surprised, because the sorceress very rarely referred to _any_ of her friends by their names, let alone Inuyasha-- normally calling him "mutt", "hanyou", "half-breed" and other such things.

'What is it?' She asked instantly, pulling herself up by the bars and standing shakily on her weak legs.

Amaya raised an eyebrow. 'Impatience is not a strength, Kagome, and will only serve to get you into trouble. I will tell you when it comes to that. But first, I have come to tell you of the two quests you actually sent me upon, not the one that I took upon myself to go on, and have no real reason to explain to you at all.'

Kagome snapped her mouth shut, knowing that there was no way she would win with the sorceress, and waited for her to begin speaking, which the woman more than took her time doing.

'I visited Kaede's village, as you asked, and you should be happy to know that it, and the old hag, are fine. The villagers have abandoned it for safer regions, but their homes still remain untouched-- and it seems as though they may stay that way.'

Kagome felt some of the anxiousness leave her, but quickly return as she remembered the other task she had set the sorceress upon. 'And the forest? The well? Are they still there?'

'Do not interrupt me!' Amaya snapped angrily, and Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes, knowing that the sorceress would never leave without finishing what she had started.

'The forest still thrives, and the well exists there. All is well in that area.' She said, sounding slightly disgusted at the thought. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, then tensed again, holding her breath and waiting for the woman to continue.

After several unnecessary minutes of silence, Amaya did continue. 'The hanyou friend of yours is, as we thought, in the clutches of the miko Kikyo. She holds him in a temple in the mountains with barriers to keep youkai such as Naraku out, and is so sheltered from most of the world, for very few mortals possess the power to reach it.'

'Then how--' Kagome began, but was cut off by Amaya.

'You are very fortunate that I am one of the few mortals who could reach it. I found the temple, and your half-breed, and he was... as well as any could be in that situation.'

Kagome felt panic surge through her at the sorceress' words, but forced herself to remain calm. 'What do you mean?' She asked quietly. Amaya looked at her thoughtfully than spoke.

'His mind had been under the influence of many spells, binding him to people, blocking out memories-- some of these spells were, perhaps, the reason he did not recognise you when you were faced with him before Naraku.'

Kagome's eyes widened slightly in worry.

'I was able to perform a spell that would resurrect his memories, though it risked permanently altering his mind--'

Kagome gasped, raising a hand to her mouth in shock and horror, and Amaya shot her a glare.

'Don't be stupid, girl, those conditions are easily reversed by someone well-versed in magic.' She snapped, before continuing 'Though he is very confused and scared at the moment, his old self is returning, I can see it in his mind, and he is beginning to remember you and everything else. His memories will take a while to sort out, but they should all fully return soon enough, much thanks to the removal of this.'

The sorceress said, holding up a rather large shard of the Shikon jewel, it's once pinkish colour now a deep, tainted black that seemed to flicker as the souls twisted and churned within the jewel's shell. Kagome gasped again, her eyes widening further-- a regular shard just barely tainted was bad enough, but this...

'It was actually three shards in the base of your hanyou's neck, however, once I removed them, I decided it would be best to combine them to make sure none would be misplaced.'

Kagome stared at the jewel a moment, before the sorceress' words sunk in, and she looked up at the woman suspiciously.

'And what do you plan to do with it?' She asked quietly, watching as the sorceress stared intently at her, before smirking slightly.

'Do not worry, you foolish girl, I have no intentions of using it. Actually, you should be thankful of _it's_ existence, for _it_ is the only reason I am revealing this tale to you at all.' She moved slightly closer, and extended the hand holding the jewel toward Kagome, her long black nails shimmering slightly in the faint torch light.

'I want you to purify it.' She said, and Kagome's eyes, somehow, managed to widen even further at the woman's words.

'You want _what_?' She blurted before she could stop herself, and Amaya raised her eyebrow again.

'Perhaps I should put it into terms that even one as simple minded as you could understand.' The woman said. 'I wish for you to take this shard of the jewel, the one you and your friends hunted so desperately for, and touch it with your finger, so using your miko powers of purification to dispel the evil that has taken up residence within it. Do I make myself perfectly clear, or perhaps you need a diagram?'

Kagome shook her head, her cheeks heating slightly. 'I meant... _why_ do you want me to purify it? Aren't you on Naraku's side?' Amaya studied her with eyes devoid of emotion, the same sort of look that Sesshomaru always seemed to wear.

'I am on whoever's side I choose to be.' She said. 'My side is my own, and it shall remain thus. Besides, I am involved in this now. I cannot so easily be released from the hold you have placed upon me.' She said, then moved her hand slightly, drawing Kagome's gaze to it.

'Now, will you do it or not?'

Kagome glanced from the jewel shard, to the sorceress, as if expecting some sort of trick, and Amaya sighed. 'Well if you won't, then I guess I'll simply have to ask Kikyo. This jewel shard will be purified one way or the other, and you two are the only miko's with the power to do so.' She said, beginning to withdraw her hand.

Kagome's eyes flashed angrily, and she immediately shot her hand out through the bars in a movement faster than any she had made in many months, touching the edges of her fingers to the tainted shard.

It glowed angrily for a moment, and Kagome could practically hear the demon inside shrieking with rage, before the colour began to swirl, and the jewel became a faint pink colour, glowing brightly in the dim room.

Amaya smiled, and withdrew her hand as Kagome's own fell limp, still hanging through the bars. 'Thank-you for your assistance, young miko.' She said, turning toward the stairs. 'Now I must report to Naraku before he suspects, then perhaps check on your friends, before I shall again have to visit Inuyasha. His mind is still weak, and may be easily penetrated by either Naraku or the miko if he is not taught to defend himself.'

'Wait!' Kagome said loudly, straining her neglected and abused vocal cords, and Amaya stopped, foot on the bottom stair, and turned to look at her. Kagome had a million questions racing through her mind she wanted to ask the sorceress, and she wanted to ask them all, but didn't know where to begin, and so, instead, simply said 'why?'

Amaya cocked an eyebrow and stared at her, again with the same coolness that Sesshomaru always seemed to posses. 'I told you-- because I am too deeply involved to simply back out now. Besides' she said, a small smirk creeping on her dark features 'I'm sure that if I stopped the boredom would kill me.'

And then the sorceress was gone, not giving Kagome a chance to respond to this.

She stared after her for a moment, then up at the ceiling, where only the smallest hole remained from the sorceress' earlier departure (the hole apparently under some kind of spell, and it had been shrinking constantly since then) and a thin sliver of light, moonlight, judging by the colour, was shooting onto the dirty floor.

'_Alright, Amaya.' _She thought as she moved back to lean against the wall. '_Whatever helps you sleep at night.' _And the Miko couldn't keep the smile from her face that, despite the conditions she was under, she had managed to influence the woman so much. That even in these dark times, she had managed to create a ray of light in the woman, and maybe, just maybe, she would be able to turn that light into a blaze.

All she needed was some time.

And down here, she had lots of that.

END

A\N: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

Yeesh, it's just one thing after another we me sometimes!

I completely and totally forgot last time! Man am I stupid!

-Fumes silently-

Okay, so lets get this right this time.

**SPECIAL THANKS TO - **(from the last chapter) -- **lunerfox**, **Darkened Maturity**, **AidynFire**, **sourapple10000**, and **Snow Lepord** (and from this chapter) **sourapple10000**, and **Darking Queen** They are the awesome reviewers from these last two chapters who I, being the imbecile I am, completely forgot to mention!


	22. Shattering

A\N: Well I saw the chronicles of Narnia the lion the witch and the wardrobe, and it was very good, well worth seeing, but probably should have been rated pg 13. Just because you don't show the sword going into the creatures on a couple of stabbings doesn't mean that the battles and everything else are suitable for little kids. But maybe I'm just overreacting to it... Anyway, it was a great movie (though the movie theatre was WAAAAAAAAY overpriced) and definitely worth seeing. And it's good to know they'll finally be making the rest of the series too, I got really tired of seeing all these version of the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and like nothing of the other books.

Anyway, enough about me, it's time to answer some of the reviews:

sourapple10000 - Exactly! I mean, does anyone even really like her anyway? Come on! The only reason they've kept her alive, I think, is to make sure we know there's a plausible (if you can call an undead priestess made of clay and bones plausible) explanation as to why Inuyasha and Kagome aren't together and happy.

lunerfox - Well, I try to anyway.

-Almandine-Azaleea - Oh don't worry about that. I, as you can see, clearly don't like Kikyo, and she'll probably have some tragic demise before the end.

-TheyMadeMeDoIt - UGH! I hate that! We had so much spyware one time our computer shut itself down and basically trashed most of our saved stuff. Stupid spyware! It should just go jump off a fucking cliff or something! (And go right ahead and talk about yourself if you want to-- hell knows I do it enough!)

-Darking Queen - Yep, you're officially awesome now! -- And sorry bout the shortness, but you'll find that a common happenstance ( -- oo since when the hell did I start using _that_ word?) in my story I'm afraid. I can only write so much you know!

-ultimateromantic - W-ell you could probably be this fast, but that would mean you'd probably have to give up every little bit of social life you possess... or just have a lot of free time on your hands in which you find yourself really bored and with nothing else to do. Either way...

-Snow Lepord - Hm. Well there's certainly a new perspective on it... I guess we'll just have to wait and see, huh?

Okay, this chapter delves a little more into Amaya and Naraku's relationship (yeah, we actually get to see the two of them interacting!) and we also learn that Amaya's perhaps a bit more mysterious and complex then we first thought!

**DISCLAIMER **- Just look at all my previous disclaimers and you'll know what I was going to say here...

Shattering

Amaya bowed lowly as the servant announced her, before leaving her alone with the demon-lord.

'Amaya.' The man said, staring at her with a twisted smile in place on his features, and she felt her hackles begin to raise slightly. She kept them carefully in check as she rose and met her master's gaze unflinchingly-- one of the few, demon or human, who could do so-- her powers in manipulating her mind the only things allowing her to do so.

'You have news, I take it.' The man said, never one to waste much time with small talk.

'Why would you "take" that?' She asked coolly 'You are the one who told me to report here' she gestured around the room, a look up utter boredom on her face, the gesture in itself suggesting feelings of sheer ennui. 'If you had expected me to come here with information I may not have possessed, that is your own mistake, not mine.' Naraku' eyes narrowed deeply.

'You forget your place in the world, ningen witch.' He said, his voice low and dangerous. She raised an eyebrow.

'And perhaps you forget yourself, Master Naraku. Ningen though I may be, you know my powers capabilities. I serve you not because I fear you. You know that I could easily possess your mind-- at this very moment even. Or perhaps you do not remember.'

Naraku's eyes became like steel, and glowed slightly red.

'And perhaps you forget, witch, that I possess something that you _want_, even if it means you do not fear me.' That said, holding up a small pearl-like jewel, barely larger than the completed Shikon jewel. It glowed with a faint silvery-blue light as it pulsed gently in his palm. Her throat constricted slightly, but her mind lit with fire and her eyes became like glaciers.

'You are foolish Naraku.' She said quietly. 'I am not here to play games with you. You summoned me. Now tell me what your purpose for interrupting my day is, or leave me be.'

Naraku stared coldly at her for a moment, debating whether or not her words made him angry, decided to let it go-- he did not feel like battling with the sorceress anymore right now, not when there were more important things to do...

'I want to know exactly what it is you have been doing.' The man said simply. Amaya raised an eyebrow.

'What I do is none of your concern, Naraku. So long as it is not harming you, you should be grateful I do not tell you every little detail of the comings and goings in my life.'

'You try and digress from my original question-- have you been up to something so shameful or traitorous you would lie to your own master?' He asked, and Amaya's eyes flickered with a small, barely perceptible flash of defiance that she doubted Naraku saw, before it quickly returned to it's mask of ice.

'What a strange comment from you, Naraku. Are you truly that frightened of me that you worry of any betrayal I may commit against you? Pathetic for a youkai...' She said. And she saw the flicker in his eyes, and she knew she had cracked the shell-- now all she had to do was drain the contents.

'A little _too_ weak for a youkai-- at least, one possessing any manner of strength whatsoever. But... you're not a youkai, are you?'

His eyes flickered, and Amaya let a barely perceptible smile grace her lips, because she had him now-- pinned up against the wall, trapped in a corner with no escape.

And she was more than smug, for not many people managed to get the better of Naraku. But she had.

The only problem was that any creature, animal or not, felt incredibly threatened in such a position, and the situation became precarious and desperate, every moment depending on how long the creature could remain without snapping, without breaking under the pressure and doing something desperate.

'It is a very good disguise to be sure.' She said, eyeing him as though looking at a horse she might wish to buy. 'I myself did not recognise you for what you were until recently. Tell me, what are you? Or do you not know what demon half of you possesses the powers of?'

Naraku's eyes glowed red, and suddenly Amaya was thrown against the wall, an invisible hand at her throat, choking her.

She did not make a sound, did not show any signs of weakness by lifting her hands to prevent the grip of the one choking the life from her, only smiled wider, showing him full-on that she had him and she knew it.

'Your tongue possesses many vile words and threats-- too many for a person of your low status, ningen.' He said the last word as though it was an insult. The grip of the hand at her throat loosened enough to let her breathe, but did not leave as Naraku held up the small azure jewel, gazing at it thoughtfully, and Amaya tensed slightly despite herself as he began to roll it in his fingers.

'A precious thing, life.' He said. 'Even half a life. It's so fragile, so easily broken, or stolen away. So easily _shattered_.' He looked at her again, and she stared back, her face blank. 'You know what is at risk here, Amaya.' He continued, the hand releasing her completely, before suddenly hitting her with what she assumed to be it's form of a savage backhand. She stumbled against the wall, blood trickling from her lip, hair falling about her face, shielding it from Naraku's view.

'Do not attempt to defy me again. Or it _will_ shatter.' He said, a smirk gracing his lips as she looked up at him, hair framing her face, bangs falling nearly into her eyes, blood trickling down her pale chin, onto her neck, her eyes a fiery glacier of hate for him, flickering with a red only a youkai should have possessed, not unlike the looks Kagura sometimes gave him, only this was magnified tenfold.

He turned and looked straight ahead, an action of disregard, knowing the movement alone would infuriate the woman before him to no end.

'You may leave.' He said, not so much a permission given, as a command, and Amaya barely controlled the urge to run at the man and tear the black bit of stone he called a heart out through his throat.

Slowly she straightened, not bothering to wipe the blood from her lips, and moved toward the doors, where she paused, looking back over her shoulders as the man who still stared straight ahead, as though she were a meagre servant unworthy of his glance.

'Life is fragile.' She said slowly, drawing his eyes to her. 'But perhaps it is stronger than you think.' She said. 'Do not count your jewels before your shards, Naraku.' She said dangerously, before slipping out the heavy door, leaving the stench and dark of his throne room behind, while the evil hanyou contemplated her words.

What was the foolish ningen talking about?

He searched his mind for the reason behind her words, and then suddenly it hit him like a flash of lightening during a heated spring sky as he remembered that he had inserted, not one, but several shards into the neck of that baka hanyou: Inuyasha.

Amaya paused halfway down the hallway and smirked as the roar of rage reached her ears, followed by a loud crack and several crashes from the room.

Frightened servants scurried past her toward the commotion, and Amaya shook her head, not feeling sorry for the fools who were likely about to loose what was left of the pitiful lives they possessed.

Turning, she continued down the hall, her mind flickering back to the jewel Naraku held, while she considered his words.

The more she thought about it, the more infuriated she became, and the stronger became her resolve to not only heal the broken hanyou kept prisoner in that temple in the mountains, but to make him powerful enough to overthrow this abomination that now ruled the lands.

A little voice sang caution in the back of her mind, and she paused to listen to it, never being stupid enough to throw such warnings away, taking into account exactly what she was putting at risk.

She knew that she could loose more than everything she had-- she could loose everything that Kagome had lost and could get back, everything that the hanyou had so newly retrieved and clung to so tightly to try and keep.

But she knew that, if they did it right, they could destroy Naraku.

And if not, if he really was too powerful to defeat, life would not be worth living anyway.

And that's all there was to it, because she couldn't live in this hell they called earth any longer-- not if she was under his domination.

None of them could.

And none of them would.

Not if she could help it.

Glossary 

Amaya - Night Rain

Naraku - Hell

Ningen - Human

Youkai - Demon

Kagura - Ancient shinto music and dancing (which would explain why all her attacks seem to have to do with dancing)

Baka - Idiot, fool, moron, etc

A\N: Lol, my first glossary!

**SPECIAL THANKS TO** - **sourapple10000**, **lunerfox**, **Almandine-Azaleea**, **TheyMadeMeDoIt**, **Darking Queen**, **ultimateromantic** and **Snow Lepord, **who are the fcucking brilliant reviewers from the last chapter and the only reason this one is up! If you're enjoying the story, you have these guys to thank!

(Also, if you reviewed the last chapter and your name isn't up there, it's not cause I don't like you, your review simply didn't show up before I updated so I couldn't add you. : ( Sorry)


	23. Slipping Into Darkness

A\N: Well I'm not gonna say anything other than answer the reviews, cause I already said everything I wanted to say today on the last chapter, so...

-Black Betty - Yeah, she is a sort of edgy character isn't she? Sometimes it's hard to tell who she's really working for, but I try to make her likeable at the same time as giving her a slightly stoic personality.

-lunerfox - Well, I've seen a couple meanings for it. As EamblingPhilosopher said, generally koi tends to be used as "love" but I've also seen it been used in reference to carp (the fish), so you have to be careful about that. Aishiteru also means love, in a strictly romantic sense, and Aishiteru Zutto means something like love you forever. But that wasn't your question was it? Man I get sidetracked so easily. So, anyway, I also read somewhere that koi means request, ancient ways, intention\purpose and thick strong or dense, but only the first two am I sure about.

-RamblingPhilosopher - Yep, she's human, and I guess her voice tends to be her strongest power considering she's a sorceress and has to chant spells and whatnot. Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying the story and that you like Amaya.

-Darking Queen - Yeah, I know what you mean, which is why I try to update so often.

Well that's about all of them for now, (next review should be number 100! OO) so until the next chapter.

**DISCLAIMER **- Again, please just look at all my others, I'm too tired to type out another.

Slipping Into Darkness

Amaya sighs heavily as she releases the monk's cold hand.

Amazing how she could burn so hot, yet shiver so intensely at the same time.

She turned toward the door of the cell and her eyes locked with the brown ones of the slayer in the cell across.

'How is he?' She asked, and Amaya shook her head. 'He gets worse everyday.' She said. 'His curse is working inside his body, instead of outside, sucking in all his energy and life. I do not think I can fix it.'

The woman called Sango's eyes filled with tears as she stared at the monk lying on the bed in the cell across from her, the same place he'd lain for nearly three days, unmoving, barely spending any time awake at all.

She realised the sorceress who called herself Amaya was speaking and that she had missed it, so she sniffed and looked up at the woman with tear-filled eyes. 'What?' She asked, not much caring how weak and broken her voice sounded.

Amaya looked annoyed. 'I said "do you know of anyone-- a priest perhaps-- who would know how to repair such a wound as his.'

Sango wracked her uncooperative mind that was trying to focus in only on her despair at Miroku's state of mind and she began to shake her head, when she suddenly remembered a battle they had had with a demon worm-charmer that had nearly cost Miroku's _and_ Inuyasha's lives. It had been the first time Inuyasha had used the Wind Scar.

'His name is Mushin. He's a monk who lives in the mountains... he raised Miroku when his father died...'

Amaya cast her an irritated look. 'Did I ask for his life-story?' She demanded, then, feeling compassion for the heart-broken human, added 'I will do what I can to find him-- though if I cannot, I suggest you think of another who can help your friend.'

Sango shook her head. 'There are none.' She said, and Amaya frowned. 'Then your friend could be in very serious danger.' She said blandly, and then looked at the two figures sleeping in the far corner of her cell (thanks to some strings Amaya had pulled). 'I must go and see Kagome-- you should try and keep their spirits up, or they will break completely.' She said, and Sango glanced back at the kitsune and fire-cat curled up in the corner of her cell and sniffed, wiping her eyes on the back of her arm and nodding.

Amaya gave a small nod of her own. 'You are not alone in your pain, Sango-- Kagome suffers as well.' She said, try to put a stop to the slayer's disgusting behaviour and give her a slight bit of comfort as well. 'She mourns alone for Inuyasha, who struggles to remember her even as we speak, and is in the hands of the woman who sought to kill both of them on more than one occasion.'

Sango's head jerked up as she stared at the sorceress. 'You've seen Inuyasha?' She asked, momentarily putting aside her worry for Miroku. Amaya frowned, giving Sango a look as though she had already been told this several times, but was too dense to remember.

'Hai. I found the temple the priestess sought to hide him away in and I have been working to restore his memeory-- but it has been nearly two days since I last visited, and I am unsure of how well he fares. I have felt no panic or real fear from him yet, but I am far from him, and this connection is weak-- he may be on the brink of insanity and I am unable to perceive it. That is why I plan to go to him when I go searching for your monk.'

She turned toward the stairs, putting her foot on the first one then pausing to look back (a position she often seemed to be finding herself in as of late) at the slayer who was wiping her eyes, looking utterly defeated.

Mentally sighing, she spoke. 'Your monk will be fine. The curse has reversed itself, and so greatly weakened it's ability to perform at all. It should not be too hard to break through it and fix it.'

Sango looked up at her, her eyes still red and puffy. 'I'm so worried about him.' She said, staring over at the monk who was shivering even more violently than before, his face scrunched up in pain and concentration.

'Of course you are, you would not be his friend if you were not. Nor, I might add, would you be a very suitable mate.' Sango's eyes snapped over to the woman, and she gave her a knowing look before descending the stairs, heading off in the direction of Kagome's cell, leaving Sango all but alone in a room of despair, death, and unconsciousness.

'_Please'_ She begged quietly '_To whatever God's may exist-- please, let him get better.' _She thought, as she reached her hand out toward the monk, though the space was far to great for her to reach, in her mind her arm was long enough and she gripped his own tightly.

'_I promise, Houshi, if we ever get out of this, I will never let you go again.' _She thought.

As if in answer, Miroku stirred slightly on the low bed, his uncursed hand clenching slightly around nothing, before twitching and lying still.

END

A\N: HA! I told you Miroku and Sango would come in! Bet you all wish I just would have let them die a peaceful death by now!

**SPECIAL THANKS TO - Black Betty**, **lunerfox**, **RamblingPhilosopher** and **Darking Queen** -- The Reviewers from the last chapter. You guys are friggen awesome!


	24. Reaching Into Light

A\N: Bleargh.

School starts tomorrow and last night some of my family who I hadn't seen on New Years came over to celebrate it then. A little late and I am completely fried.

Plus my sister was asking me stuff about Naraku clearly being defeated in the end because he didn't exist in the future. I thought on that a moment and further short-circuited my brain, and then pointed out to her that Naraku would have to die if he didn't become full demon because he has no eternal life. Somehow that led to us talking about Sesshomaru and Kouga existing in the future, and just picturing Sesshomaru in a suit and tie or something is completely fucking hilarious and very nearly next to impossible.

Come on, think about it!

Anyway, since the last chapter, I now have more than 100 fucking reviews! Can you believe that? OO

It's friggen amazing!

Thanks so fcucking much to everyone who reviewed, you guys ROCK!

So, to answer those reviewers who submitted the most recent reviews:

-Black Betty - well, I guess it's a good thing (for those who like Mir and San angst) that I didn't forget them.

-Rambling Philosopher - Well, I don't think he'll be going to the white padded room (mostly because they didn't have white padded rooms in the feudal era) but I also don't know how soon he'll be going to see Kagome. I've got something else in store for him first (but it'll take a few chapter's to get there cause I've now got to focus on more than three story lines!) that's sure to catch people's attention.

-rena555 - W-ell not everyone. I can think of several other characters that are yet to be thrown into the mix. However, I should have a few of them in soon. My plots finally starting to unfold in a way that my muses let me have some say in.

-sourapple10000 - You don't have to wait any longer, cause here it is. : )

-lunerfox - ... nooo I don't think they've slept together. What made you think that? (I'm seriously curious cause I really don't know and it would be interesting to learn where you're coming from on this) and as for Sesshomaru (yeah, he really does have a long name doesn't he? But I hate calling him fluffy...) why would he care that Inuyasha and all his ningen friends were kidnapped and locked up by Naraku? I mean, Naraku clearly can't defeat Sesshomaru (come on, who can?) in a one on one battle, and really doesn't have any need to anymore anyway (at least in this story) so why would Sesshomaru give a crap what Naraku's all about? Just so long as, in the end, he gets to kill the half-demon, he doesn't seem to overly concerned with what he does. Or what anybody does for that matter.

Anyway, don't worry bout Sess, I've got a plan for him just waiting to happen, all I need is a bit more time and a few more chapters.

-MustluvKits101 - Make that 24. Lol

Okay, so I'm inserting some new ideas into this one as well as experimenting with a couple new characters (which I won't go into detail with until future chapters) so bear with me for a little while with those things.

**Very Important Disclaimer **- Hey, guess what! I _still_ don't own anything! That's right, Rumiko Takahashi has yet to sell me rights to Inuyasha and any of the other characters from the anime, and I have failed to acquire any rights to them. I do, however, own this story and some of the characters not in the anime in it, so don't steal those or I reserve the right to kick your ass into the deepest, hottest circle of hell.

Reaching into Light

Amaya shifted restlessly in her seat.

After explaining to Kagome all that had happened with Sango, she had immediately gone and retrieved two demon fire-horses from a very rare herd so she would have a way of transporting the damn monk Mushin when she found him, and, after a short battle of wills with the creatures, she had broken them and flown to the temple in the mountains-- though one the barrier had begun to react to their demon auras, she had left them behind, promising a slow and painful death if they ran, before coming to meet with Inuyasha.

The flight alone here had been enough to drive her to the brink, for she had not been able to move much at all on the back of the fire-stallion, and now she was sitting here, watching as the hanyou had his own battle of wills: Him versus his mind.

'Concentrate, Inuyasha.' The woman said, and Inuyasha shifted, opening his eyes to glare at her.

'It's not as easy as it looks, ya know!' He snarled back at her.

She had been here more than an hour teaching him how to better focus his mind and, while he was concentrating like there was no tomorrow, his mind just wouldn't cooperate, and the total result of this had been him getting an incredibly painful migraine.

To top it off, when Kikyo had returned shortly after Amaya's departure, he had had to explain to her where her servant was and how the hell the metal collar had come off.

He had come up with a quick excuse about the collar, saying that it just suddenly started glowing and then snapped (which she, surprisingly, believed) and then simply told her the truth about her servant: a bird had flown in through the window and killed it.

Kikyo had seemed slightly surprised, and for a while Inuyasha had feared that she wouldn't buy it. Then she merely frowned, and left, leaving him alone for several hours, the most recent of which he had spent with the sorceress.

His temples throbbed painfully, drawing his attention back to the present, and he rubbed them angrily.

Amaya sighed in her own exasperated irritation. 'How do you expect me to help you in any manner if you will not help yourself?' She asked, as though he were a stubborn child refusing to obey a command to go to bed.

Inuyasha glared viciously. 'I _am_ trying, but I don't know _how_ and you're not telling me!' He snarled at her, and she frowned, staring at him, then sighed again, shaking her head slightly.

When she looked back she looked more tired than angry, and Inuyasha was slightly surprised.

'Alright, puppy.' She said, her voice quiet, sounding almost defeated. 'Close your eyes.'

Inuyasha eyed her a moment angrily, because this is the same thing they'd been doing for the past hour and he was getting sick of it.

Grudgingly he obeyed, and let the skin of his eyelids plunge him into blackness.

'Now, Inuyasha, I am going to try and reach into your mind. I want you to concentrate of my voice in your head, concentrate on blocking it out, do you understand?'

He frowned and put his ears back since he couldn't really glare at her. 'Why, how will this help?' He asked, confusion evident in his voice even to his own ears.

Instead of getting exasperated like he expected, Amaya explained it to him calmly. 'It will help you learn to block unwanted spells trying to get into your mind-- my voice speaking to your mind is a spell, although a very weak one, but learning to deflect it should help you greatly to regain your proper mind.'

Inuyasha let that comment slide for the moment, unsure if she really meant it as an insult.

'And this will help me block out Naraku?' He asked slowly, his voice firm.

'Yes. And Kikyo. And you need to block both of them, Inuyasha, or they will steal your minds again. Now enough of this.' She said, and he heard her move beside him. Instinctually he tensed slightly.

'No Inuyasha.' She said, and he could hear the frown in her voice. 'You cannot block this spell with your body's physical force, it will only make it more difficult for you if you are tense in body and not in mind.' She explained. 'The body's tension will distract your concentration. You need to be able to relax at any time, and focus only on your mind, for there is no warning for spells that attack and cloud the mind. Do you understand?'

Inuyasha nodded slowly and then forced himself to react.

There was silence all around him, but Inuyasha forced himself to relax, ignoring how claustrophobic the darkness made him feel, how venerable he felt, lying on the futon, eyes closed, completely at this woman's mercy.

Inside, he was wondering if this is what she had been telling him to do, trying to get him to do, before.

'_Don't wander off, Inuyasha, concentrate.' _Her voice reached him suddenly in his mind, and he tensed again because there _had_ been no warning.

'_Relax, puppy. If you ever want to do this you must remain relaxed in your body. Forget about it. Focus only on your mind. Focus on my voice.' _

Inuyasha did, his face scrunching up despite himself, though he was not aware of it.

'_Think, Inuyasha. Do you want me inside your head like this all the time?' _The sorceress asked, no encouragement, just a sudden blatant taunting, and Inuyasha's mind kindled with a sudden fire.

'_Do you want me to be able to see all your thoughts and fears of you life, all your thoughts on Kikyo... and Kagome?' _

Inuyasha's teeth sunk into his lip and a growl rose from his throat, but he was aware of nothing but that voice.

'_Do you want Kikyo to see how you truly feel? Do you want her to know all your secrets, and forever control your life?' _

'_No.' _Inuyasha thought desperately, not to her, but to himself. '_No.' _He thought with a bit more resolve, because he couldn't let them know... he couldn't. His thoughts and memories were his to share or keep to himself, not for them to go prying through like some book they had found.

'_What about Naraku?' _The voice asked, and the fire flickered for a second in warning. '_He first laid the spell... I bet he's seen all your thoughts and memories already. All your foolish hanyou fears and discomforts.'_

'_No.' _His mind said again, louder.

'_I bet he knows everything you think and feel, all about Kikyo, all about your desires...' _

'_No!' _His mind shouted louder still, but her voice was not gone yet.

'_All about Kagome.' _

That was it. Inuyasha's mind roared with rage, the fire blaring to life, consuming everything so he couldn't think, he couldn't concentrate on anything other than his anger at her words.

A small speck appeared in the darkness around him, like a star, and it began to grow bigger, the sound of wind rushing around him filled his ears, blocking out whatever else the sorceress was saying, and suddenly he was swallowed by the violent white light, as it consumed his mind and body.

Inuyasha's eyes flew wide open and he gasped like a landed fish, his eyes immediately flying over to the sorceress.

Amaya watched him, amused for a moment, then smiled.

'Very good, puppy. You're learning.' She said, and Inuyasha gaped at her for a moment, the first compliment she had given him since arriving.

'You mean I did it?' He asked in astonishment.

She raised an eyebrow. 'If by "it" you mean blocked the spell, then yes and no. You blocked out my voice, but you did not do it entirely properly. You will have to learn to do it right before it's ever of any real use to you.' She said, standing and moving toward the window. 'In time you may even learn to revert the spells cast upon your mind into physical spells used against your enemy. But that is yet a long way ahead of us-- now if you'll excuse me, I must go. A friend of yours is waiting for me to retrieve him some aid.'

Inuyasha blinked as his mind consumed this information, watching as Amaya stepped on the sill.

'Wait-- what are you talking about, what friend?'

Amaya paused and looked back at him. 'That is a tale for when I return, Inuyasha. Right now I have no time for such things.' She said, and with that leapt out the window before he could say another word and flew off into the night, leaving Inuyasha alone again, with nothing but a whirling mind and confused memories.

Exhausted, he lay back, forcing her words out of his head as he remembered what had just happened.

He had blocked her spell.

A grin found it's way upon his face even as he fell deeper into sleep.

Maybe there was some hope for this plan of hers after all.

Just maybe.

A\N: I know that entei was a fire horse demon, but _my_ fire horse demons are a different breed and don't look all that much like him. Bear with me on the idea, alright? Maybe not 100 accurate, but they help make the plot work.

Also, I didn't get the idea for Inuyasha's mind control lessons from Harry Potter's occulemency. Someone sent me a very nasty email saying that I had stolen the idea (though I'm not entirely sure if it is possible to steal the idea of mind control o0) from Harry Potter, and I assure you that, while I have read all the Harry Potter books a good long while before I wrote this, I had nearly completely forgotten about him getting occulemency lessons until that person mentioned it. I promise you I'm not trying to steal any ideas from anybody, so please don't anyone else send me any other emails accusing me of these things.

**VERY IMPORTANT THANKS GO TO: Black Betty**, **RamblingPhilosopher**, **rena555**, **sourapple10000**, **lunerfox** and **MustluvKits101** -- The amazingly awesome reviewers from the last chapter who this chapter is now posted for! You guys are the best!


	25. Waterfall

sourapple10000 - Lol thanks, I just took a look at it and it was really good! I can't wait to find out what happens next! And I suffer from writers block a lot too. Sometimes viewing old Inuyasha episodes helps, but not always. You know, that's really what they should be searching for the cure for, instead of wasting all this time finding out whether or not you can tip a cow over! The cure for writers block would be far more amazing than the cure for the common cold.

MustluvKits101 - Well, I'll try to. . Urgh! I keep hitting the wrong keys on the keyboard! I'm normally a pretty fast typer, but it just took me like three minutes to get "well, I try to" out! Glares at keyboard Stupid incompetent piece of junk!

Almandine-Azaleea - Well I'm glad you enjoy it so much, and that I manage to keep the characters in character. After all, they do play a fairly vital role in the story.

Black Betty - Yeah, I know, that's why I had her calling him that in the first place, cause it's such a cute little nickname for him! I mean, I could hardly have Naraku or Kikyo going around calling him koinu-- it's just not something I see in their characters very often, and when I do it's usually because I've had waaaaaay too much sugar and waaaaaaaaaaay too little sleep.

lunerfox - Oh did I? Hm. Well I don't remember (but I don't remember most of the things I've typed, said, or done in my life so, and I also think I might be a little ADD) but if I said that I didn't mean necessarily that they were mated mates, just that they were like "lovers" (as the show seems to call them) or boyfriend and girlfriend.

Anyway, I don't really have anything to say today because school's up again and I'm completely drained, so I'm just gonna give ya the disclaimer and the story, alright? Fine? That okay with you? --

**Disclaimer** - Don't own the Inuyasha characters. Do own the story. Do own the OC. I make no money off of any of this.

Waterfall

Amaya frowned as she circled around the outer regions of the mountains again.

If there was one thing she wished was better at, it was smelling things.

The more she transformed into falcon form, the more acute her hearing and eyesight became, and her speed increased greatly, yet she could not smell worth a damn, and ningen senses were useless to her at this height.

Curse it all, she should have asked that damn slayer if this mountain the monk was on had a name or some sort of defining characteristic, because she could not see any traces of life in any of these mountains.

She sighed, preparing to call it a day, as she flew low over one of the forests on the mountain side, when something caught her eyes.

A large, deep hole in the ground that looked to be more than several feet deep and wide. She could feel the strange aura around it-- not demonic, but most certainly evil, and she started slightly as she realised that a similar aura surrounded the cursed monk.

She circled around it repeatedly, searching the cliff face for any signs of life, but again came up empty.

The sound of rushing water reached her ears and, frustratedly, she flew toward it, her throat singing with relief as she landed on one of the rocks near the base of the waterfall and began drinking.

She tensed as she felt the presence of something approaching, and looked up to see, with much amusement, a fish coming tumbling down the waterfall.

Not hesistating a moment, she swooped over and caught it before it hit the water, sending water droplets flying as her wings skimmed the waterfall.

She sunk her talons into the creature's flesh, killing it before it could even try and struggle, and then settled down on the banks to being with her meal.

She was only about halfway through when the sound of feet moving uneasily over rocks reached her ears, and her head immediately shot up from her prey, her eyes narrowed as she glared around for the source of the noise, which appeared to be coming from the waterfall itself.

She frowned and glared over at it intently for a moment, because she could _feel_ someone approaching, she just didn't know what.

After a moment there was a quiet muttering, and then a small space appeared, interrupting the waterfall's progress, as a man walked (though it was really more of a stumble) out through the door-like gap and made his way toward the bank.

Amaya watched the man, who appeared to be slightly drunk, as he stumbled onto the bank, seemingly unaware of her presence, and kneeled down next to her, nearly falling on her in the process.

She let out an angry shriek, flapping her wings and fully prepared to rip the man's eyes out as he jumped in surprise, lost his "footing" on the slippery edge, and fell into the water.

The cold water certainly seemed to wake up his blurred senses, because the man jumped up and began shouting wild curses onto her and all birds.

She watched in amusement for a moment as the man pointed the staff he carried threateningly at her, yelling at her to be gone, and then a thought occurred to her. The staff the man held was not an ordinary staff, but one that eminated a holy sort of aura about it, even if the man himself did not. Indeed, she had felt that aura increase when the man had created the door in the waterfall for him to walk through.

She cocked her head to the side, taking in the man's appearance for the first time: He was overweight, that much was certain, and his stomach bulged under the sopping clothes he was wearing. However, they were, in fact, the clothes of a monk, even Naraku could not have mistaken them otherwise, and Amaya looked at the man, wondering if this pathetic excuse of a ningen could really be the one with the powers to heal the monk.

She decided to risk unveiling herself-- if the man wasn't who she thought, she could very easily kill him and no one would notice-- and so summoned her transformation powers, effectively stilling the man as the wind surrounded her.

When it finally disappeared and she was back in her true form, the look of astonishment on the man's face was priceless, though it quickly turned to a glare.

'Who are you, witch? Why do you come to disturb the peacefulness of my temple?' The man asked roughly, though the effect was slightly ruined by the occasional hiccup that punctuated his words.

Amaya raised an eyebrow and glanced around. 'Forgive me, but I have seen no temples in my many flights around the mountains-- are you sure you are simply not hallucinating in your drunken state?' She asked, and the monks already red cheeks seemed to get slightly more so, though it was really hard to tell.

'Of course you wouldn't have! The temple is hidden from the eyes of evil beings like yourself!' He said, gesturing wildly around behind him, the motions looking like they were going to unsettle him again and send him flying back into the river.

Amaya glanced at the waterfall his hands were waving at, and smiled. 'Ah, so you have placed it behind the waterfall have you? What happened? Did you get frightened of Naraku and hide your temple from sight? For I know that the temple was not always hidden there.' The monk's face blanched slightly and then he glared again, opening his mouth, but she did not give him the chance to speak.

'Tell me, are you the monk they call Mushin?' She asked, and the monk seemed slightly shocked at this.

After a moment of silence in which she waited for an answer the drunkard did not give, Amaya decided to try a new tactic. 'It is simply that his friend Miroku is very ill-- his curse is swiftly killing him, and I was told the only one who could help him was a monk by the name of Mushin.'

The monk stared at her for a moment, then seemed to shake out of his stupor and looked at her, his brow furrowed slightly with concern. 'What is wrong with him, has he nicked it again?' Amaya frowned.

'_Again?' _She decided she must inquire to the slayer about when this had happened before. For now, though, the important thing was finding out if this rambling, fumbling idiot was the monk she needed or not.

'His curse has reversed itself, sending it's suction inward instead-- everyday it absorbs more of his energy and life. He will not live long if I cannot find the man called Mushin and get him to repair the boy's hand.'

The monk stared at her and again said nothing, and now she was simply getting annoyed.

'I do not have time for staring matches, monk, so I suggest you tell me whether you are the man I seek or not so I can be on my way.' She said irritated, and the man blinked, and took an unsteady step forward.

'I am Mushin.' The man said slowly. 'But this is like nothing I can remember dealing with.' He said, sounding slightly uncertain. Amaya's brow furrowed.

'Can you fix it or am I simply wasting my time here with you?' She asked. The monk stared at her, then his face darkened slightly, though not quite in an angry way. 'I may be able to help Miroku-- but I must see him first.' The monk looked around as though expecting to see the boy standing there, then frowned as he noticed he wasn't.

'Where is he?'

Amaya looked at the man consideringly, than said 'In Naraku's palace-- if you wish to see him, than you must go to him, he cannot come to you.'

Mushin's face paled slightly and he blanched again, but Amaya did not have time for another one of his drunken stares, and so simply turned away and whistled twice loudly, then turned back toward the baffled monk.

'I am sure he will be happy to see you. If you can get him to wake up.' She said, and then anything else they may have had to say was drowned out by a loud thundering sound that filled the air as the two fire-horse youkai came charging toward them, one landing beside her, the other landing beside Mushin.

Amaya mounted quickly, while the monk looked quite unsure of whether or not he liked the idea of riding on the back of one of these creatures, let alone with the intent of going to Naraku's castle.

She rolled her eyes and then gave a nod of her head to the other horse-youkai, who lowered it's head and charged the monk, throwing him into the air, before leaping up to catch him in such a way that the monk had no choice but to catch him.

She kicked her own horse into movement, and it reared slightly in angry surprise, then tore off up into the sky, racing with the other toward the purple miasma that Amaya could smell even at this distance.

A\N: Well I hope I did a good job on Mushin, but it's kinda hard considering the fact that we don't actually see the real him for any more than five minutes in that one episode where Miroku hurts his wind tunnel and the rest of the time he's possessed by a worm charmer, but I tried to make him work. Hope I got it right.

**SPECIAL THANKS TO**: **sourapple1000**, **MustluvKits101**, **Almandine-Azaleea**, **Black Betty**, and **lunerfox** who are the really awesome reviewers of the last chapter and the reason that this one is up!


	26. Try

A\N: Oi. Well schools back in and I'm already completely lost. I don't know how I've been coping with it so far, but now I'm just so damn well out of it. So, no real rant this chapter, just gonna answer the reviews.

-sourapple10000 - Yeah, well I heard spraying salt up your nose helps cure colds, but really, who wants to try that? Lol, anyway, we're looking for curse for writers block not the common cold.

-MustluvKits101 - Well, I blame it on my keyboard. I'm not normally a slow typer, the last time I took one of those typing tests (which was about a year ago) I was typing 82 wpm (albeit, in their lame sentences that never make any sense, but still...) but since then the letters on my keyboard have kinda... faded off, so if I try to type a work just looking at the keyboard and not at the screen it's like... "woah... okay, where the hell did A go?" lol

-lunerfox - Well I do it pretty much the same way that other people put them up slowly-- go to the documents area, upload the file, edit the summary, put up the chapter...

-Almandine-azaleea - Lol, I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!

-Sexy Kat - Well, he already is remembering... sort of... Anyway, we should be checking in on him soon.

-AidynFire - Yes, but it's a very short whole new half a novel! Yeah, I liked that part too (sometimes I'm so clever! ) which would explain why I added it. I'm glad I can keep her original. She seems kinda like a mix between Sesshomaru's ice, Naraku's evil, Inuyasha's temper, Kikyo's and Tsubaki's ( -- Don't think that's how you spell her name) and a bunch of other things. But that's only for one minute of one chapter, and the next time I turn around she's a completely different mix of completely different people. It's kinda strange and fun to write her.

-darkman2201 - Lol, you're very welcome, I'm glad you're enjoying it, but I'm afraid you're gonna have to wait for the conclusive, cause things are only just starting to get warmed up. As I said, I still have some other characters from the anime that I want to get in here (and some that I might want to... take away) before the story is done-- and maybe not all the characters everyone is expecting. Who knows, I may still have a couple of surprises up my sleeve.

-Darking Queen - The only advice I can offer you on this little problem is to read slower, cause I don't think I can promise longer chapters...

-xoLovexInuyasha - O.O... umm... well okay, thanks, I think. Beginning - Out of curiosity's sake, what makes you think I'm a sicko? Cause that's a word generally used for someone involved in perverted or gross sorts of ideas, and I just never really thought that this story fell into either of those categories. Middle - They'll get better when they get better, it all takes time ya know. more middle - . And now - Well I'm glad you're finally enjoying the story, but something _must_ have caught your interest at the beginning or else you wouldn't have continued reading. Anyway I'm glad to have your opinion on all of this and I know you didn't steal the name Amaya. It is an actual Japanese name that was around long before this story was created and it means night rain. I didn't come up with it so I have no real rights to it anyway.

Okay, so that's all the reviews for now! Hopefully there'll be more for the next chapter though!

**DISCLAIMER **- I DO NOT OWN THE INUYASHA CHARACTERS! Do you really think I can handle that kind of responsibility? Man, you've seen what I can do to them when I _don't_ own them, just imagine what would happen if I _did_... shudders Nope, they're better off with Rumiko Takahashi, who is their original creator and owner. I only own the story and a few OC in it.

Try

Amaya used spells of secrecy and deception to stop Naraku or the other demons from perceiving the monk's presence.

She had promised to get him out of here and back to his temple alive and well, but the man was annoying her so much that she was seriously beginning to rethink at least one of the two.

She pushed the dungeon door open and waited for the monk to walk past her, although, thanks to her spells, to the guards it looked like she had opened the door and was now waiting patiently for the air to pass through.

They shared a look and she glared at them, immediately making them snap their eyes forward because even they understood that, demon or not, she was powerful, and a force to be reckoned with, and so let her antics go for the moment.

Once the door had been resealed, she led the drunkard monk (who had distinctly sobered up along the ride there) down into the dungeon, giving a slight growl of irritation when he stumbled on the unfamiliar steps and fell against her slightly.

'Would you learn how to use those things properly!' She hissed at him, gesturing angrily at his feet, before turning and storming down the stairs, a slight edge of anger hindering her usual glide.

'Sango.' She said into the darkness, and she frowned as she felt the girl sliding into conciousness, fear enveloping her.

'Relax, ningen, it is only me.' She said, touching her had to a charm around her neck that instantly sprang to life, illuminating the entire room in a torch-like blaze of light.

Sango blinked against the light and peered up at her, and she felt the slayer's relief wash over her.

'Amaya, thank God, I was getting so worried.' She said, her eyes flickering to Mushin, who had discovered Miroku, and was now leaning over the shivering monk.

'Have there been any changes since I departed?' She asked the slayer, and Sango shook her head. 'His hand twitched once, but ever since then he's been so still and he's been shaking so bad... I think he's getting worse.'

Amaya nodded, face dark, and turned toward the monks. 'Well?' She asked, coming up behind Mushin, who was shifting the prayer-beads on the monk's hand around.

He glanced up at her, and then looked back down at the monk, not saying anything. Amaya glared. 'Can you fix it?' She demanded, and the monk sighed, setting the hand down and shaking his head slightly.

'His wound is very strange, I wonder what caused it to turn in on itself like this...'

Amaya rolled her eyes in irritation. This was why she hated monks. They always rambled on and on and it took them forever to get to the point. 'But can you fix him?' She asked, enunciating each word slowly and carefully, as though talking to an incompetent person, which, in Amaya's eyes, she was.

'I can try and draw the wound back out to it's former functioning, but there are risks.' The monk said slowly, and Amaya's eyes narrowed. 'What risks?' She demanded.

The monk stared off at some entirely uninteresting space on the wall for a moment, before saying 'it is likely that the wound will react badly to such treatment... it may very well expand and suck in us all.'

Amaya stared at the man with sharp eyes, trying to determine if he was lying, before glancing over at Sango, who was staring at Miroku with tears barely held back glistening in her eyes.

'Sango.' She said quietly, slowly drawing the slayer's eyes to her. She hated the pain she saw there. More than that she hated how much she had allowed these creatures to effect her, how close she'd allowed them to get. They were thorns in her sides, and each one of them, even the monk, who had been unconscious most of the time she'd known him, was festering deeper under her skin, penetrating her shell and making their ways toward her heart. 'It's your decision.' She said quietly, and the Slayer looked at her, then at Mushin, then at Miroku, and shook her head.

'There is no decision here.' She said slowly, her voice more determined and set than Amaya had heard it in a long time. 'If we don't do it, Miroku would die. I would rather have tried to save him and failed, then not have tried at all.'

Amaya stared at her, her dark eyes glittering as the slayer determinedly stared unwaveringly at the monk. 'Wisely spoken.' She said, then turned quickly toward the monk. 'You heard her.' She said, and Mushin glanced nervously around, as though he really didn't think it was worth the risk, then sighed, and turned back toward Miroku, pulling his hand out to him.

'I will see what I can do.' He said quietly, beginning to unwrap the prayer-beads. 'Witch, do you think you can shine that light right over his hand?' He asked, and Amaya paused for a moment, slightly indignant that the monk still had the nerve to call her a witch, before leaning forward and cupping her hands around the small bead of light, focusing it on the hand as the beads slowly began to come free.

And she wondered if the monk really did have the power to fix the curse.

After all, if it was made by Naraku, even in his early days, it must be a powerful curse.

She shook her head and focused back on the task at hand, pushing those thoughts away.

Sango spoke the truth when she said those words a moment ago: It didn't matter if he could or not. It didn't matter if not just Miroku's, but everybody in this dungeon's lives were at risk.

They had a chance to save Miroku, and, even if it meant their own lives were at risk, they had to try. Because in the end, trying was all that really mattered, at least in times like this.

And in the end it was better than sitting around uncertainly and waiting for death to sneak up upon you while you wallow in the cold darkness that has become your life.

In the end, it was all they had.

So they had to try.

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: sourapple10000 **(who, by the way, has a completely awesome story up that everyone should check out called "Haunting Memories), **MustluvKits101**, **lunerfox**, **Almandine-Azaleea**, **Sexy Kat**, **AidynFire**, **darkman2210**, **Darking Queen** and **xolovexinuyasha** -- They're the completely awesome reviewers from the last chapter and the reason this one is up!


	27. Knowing

A\N: Well, I'm a little iffy about the end of this chapter, but I had to have it this way cause it's probably gonna prove essential to my plot later on in the story.

Well this morning I woke up to what sounded like a cat trying to tear a hole in my door with it's claws. Turns out it wasn't that, just a saw running through some kind of strange material for a window or something I think (construction's not my strong point...) that now sounds a bit closer to someone either painting really raggedly and heavily or else nails running down a chalkboard (not to mention the hammering)

Needless to say I am not in a very good mood with it as it has made working nearly impossible.

Anyway, I got some really awesome reviews for the last chapter, so I'm gonna hurry up to answer them:

-Black Betty - Well did you expect them _not_ to try and save our favourite lecher? Lol, yeah, slowly but surely Amaya seems to be coming around to the realisation that she does, indeed, have a heart.

-Almandine-Azaleea - Hm. That's a good question. The only answer I can give you to that is that I don't _plan_ to make it any length. In fact, I don't really plan anything at all. For all I know the well that is my imagination could run dry and I could just give up on this story tomorrow... oo... Okay, that's a scary thought, cause I'm really enjoying writing this story and I actually can't wait to see how it's gonna end either. And I plan to have more Inuyasha and Kagome in soon enough, but it took me, what, 23 chapters to get Miroku and Sango in there? I figure I owe them at least this much on-page time. as to school... Bleargh. Don't get me started on it. -.-

-xolovexinuyasha - Well actually that idea is mostly centred around the fact that Inuyasha is a dog-demon I guess. I don't know, maybe I am more than a little messed up in the head (though the medication is helping ) but the idea appealed to me, and I seem to have carried it on to a level where everyone's liking it so far. As to the end, like I said I'm just as puzzled as you are as to where this is going. And don't worry, I'm certain that after some angst, torture, blood and guts and maybe a little character death everything will turn out okay. But then again, maybe it won't...

-MustluvKits101 - Oh that really sucks. I don't get sick very often but when I do it can be pretty bad. Anyway, consider this next chapter a sort of "Get-well" gift (unless you don't like this chapter, then you can just pick one of the other chapters as a replacement ) and I hope you get better soon!

-RamblingPhilosopher - Yeah, he's in there with Sango and Kirara. I don't know why I decided those three needed to be in the same cell while Miroku was separated, but there you have it. And don't worry-- I was in a fairly foul mood this morning but I didn't feel like killing Miroku. I can put that off for a little while longer I think. -- And Sesshomaru... yeah, he may turn up in one of these chapters. Can't say when, where, how or why, but he may be there. After all, I can hardly leave out our fav full-blooded inuyoukai now can I?

Sexy Kat - Lol, I'll try to stop making wait, but I can only write these chapters so fast ya know!

-Darking Queen - Well I'm sorry about that. But hey, shorter chapters means I can drag this story on for a helluva lot longer! But now I'm wondering... is this story funsize snickers, or is it something else entirely?

-sourapple10000 - Well it's only there cause it's true. I don't like to give free broadcasting (or really any broadcasting) unless I actually truly think a story deserves it. When I first went to read it I was a little uncertain about your story because I've seen a lot of different versions of similar plots, but yours is definitely unique and really captivating-- never know what's coming next really! And... aw shit. This has happened to me three times in the past two days! I can't remember what the hell I was gonna say. Hang on a sec... and... nope, it's gone. Well, it doesn't really matter cause I was ranting anyway, but I'm fairly certain it was something along the lines of Your story is really great and I can't wait to read more! Sounds really fake and rehearsed or something when put in those terms, but I swear to you it's authentic! I really am enjoying it and I really can't wait to read more. Now I better stop talking before I forget to put the damn disclaimer and people come running after me with torches and pitchforks (which, now that I think about it, may have nothing to do with the disclaimer).

**DISCLAIMER **- I do not own nor do I make any money and\or other profit off of the Inuyasha characters. I own any and all OC in this fic, as well as the story itself, but I make nothing off of them either.

Knowing

The group stayed up long into the night watching as Mushin worked upon Miroku's hand.

Near midnight, Amaya became worried about (and slightly irritated at) the two present demons, and so put an enchantment upon them to help them sleep. She was going to do the same to Sango, but the girl had refused her without giving the idea a moments consideration, all her thoughts bent on making sure Miroku was alright.

So Amaya left her be until nearly an hour later, the girl was practically trembling and leaning against the bars for support, Amaya, ignoring her protests, sent the girl into a peaceful sleep, devoid of all dreams. Sango wanted to see Miroku when he woke, Amaya knew, but she knew the girl was near collapse, and it would be better for both the slayer and the monk if the girl was at least slightly rested when he awoke.

After much time had passed, and Amaya could feel her jewel's light wavering slightly, signalling that the sun was beginning to rise, Mushin stood up, shaking and sweating slightly, and placed Miroku's hand down on the bed-- a special wrap with a seal to help control the curse until it healed firmly set in place-- and turned toward her.

'How does he fare?' She asked, even though she had been standing over the monk nearly the entire time, she had no real idea how Miroku was doing-- though it couldn't have been too terrible, considering the fact that none of them were currently in whatever lay on the other side of the monk's wind tunnel.

'I managed to draw the tunnel out, but I think it has spread again.' The drunkard said slowly, shaking his head. 'I do not know how long Miroku will survive like this.'

Amaya nodded. 'Arigato, monk. You have done us a great service.' The monk's brow furrowed.

'I did it for Miroku's sake, not yours.' He said, peering at her. 'Tell me, why do you care so much?' He asked, and Amaya blinked, finding she had no answer.

Swiftly she turned away, and moved toward the stairs. 'Come then, monk. I will return you to your "temple" and your sake.'

Mushin made a slight grumbling noise, but said nothing, because he clearly wanted to return home.

Amaya led him out of the dungeon, again holding the door and effectively baffling and amusing the guards, while her mind muttered "baka's" repeatedly, before taking him outside and down the many winding paths to the places where the two fire-horses were still waiting for her (a fact that slightly surprised her, since she had not given any command for them to do so, but had more left them with the open ability to leave, daring them to take it).

But they hadn't, and so Amaya gracefully mounted, while the monk, even after using a rock to boost himself up slightly higher, had many failed attempts at getting on (mostly because the horse kept moving around at the last minute, unsettling him and making him loose his grip). When he finally did mount, it was really more a job of him standing on the rock, gripping the horse's shoulder (because the mane was made of real fire) and flinging himself across the creature's back, which made the horse snort in annoyance and anger, and Amaya shake her head in exasperation, amusement, and warning, telling the horse not to even attempt hurting the man.

The creature snorted, then put her amber eyes forward, glaring angrily at the offending black rocks that made up their little hideaway. Amaya patted it on the neck as her own horse pulled up along side it, and the creature jerked away.

Amaya glared, but decided it wasn't worth the effort to reprimand the horse, and so simply egged both creatures into movement, ignoring the shout of surprise that escaped the monks lips as the creatures tore off suddenly into the sky, leaving trails of fire blazing behind them.

The horses travelled fast, grateful to get away from the poisonous miasma, and they arrived in half the time it took to arrive at Naraku's castle in the first place.

Her own landed smoothly, having been severely reprimanded by her before for nearly unseating her in the last attempt, Mushin's, however, felt no such need for his rider, and landed roughly on the ground, bucking slightly to thoroughly make certain the man would be unseated.

The monk tumbled the ground and glared angrily, muttering about incompetent demon's as he pulled himself to his feet.

'I thank you again, for what you did for Miroku.' She said again, bowing slightly before the monk.

'He's a good boy.' Mushin said. 'He deserves all the happiness that life can give him.' The monk cast her a slightly concerned glance. 'You will get him out of there won't you? The boy should have his last years on earth in freedom, not spent in the dungeons of that monster.'

Amaya raised an eyebrow. 'The way I hear it, he's quite a force to be reckoned with. Especially when it comes to matters of the female variety. Kagome tells me he's quite the lecher.'

Mushin nodded. 'Miroku's whole bloodline was like that-- it was that reason that his grandfather was possessed by the curse in the first place, and that reason that caused his wind tunnel to spread again.'

Amaya nodded slowly. 'I'm afraid I don't much care to know the rest of either of these stories.' She said solemnly, then added 'and I shall do whatever I can to get him out of there. But it may take me a while yet.'

Mushin's brow furrowed again. 'Just don't take too long. He does not have much time left to live-- if he survives healing the curse at all.'

Amaya stared at him coldly. 'He will survive.' She said determinedly. 'Otherwise I know where I can find you, do I not?' She added, as she turned and remounted the stallion, who jerked his head slightly in anger, but did not attempt to unseat her.

'Sayounara, monk. And for your sake, I hope the monk pulls through.' She said, and then the two youkai had taken off into the air, allowing themselves to be led with her mind as they headed, not toward the castle, but toward the circle of mountains that were topped, not with ice and forests, but with meadows and rivers. It was here that she had first caught the beasts.

They landed and she dismounted, turning to face the two youkai who looked like they just wanted to bolt right then and there.

'I thank you as well for your services.' She said, movement at the edge of the meadow by the encircling forest caught her eye, and she gestured with her head. 'Go now, your herd awaits you. If I should ever need your aid again, I shall call for you. I hope you will do me the honour of responding.'

The two youkai looked at her, and the mare shook her mane in excitement as she turned and began to trot back toward her herd.

The stallion looked at her hard for a moment, then bent slightly at the knees and lowered his neck in what was clearly his form of a bow.

She returned the gesture, knowing she had just gained an important alliance with the beasts, and then watched as the creature reared, before turning and racing toward his herd, sparks kicking up at his heels, to the naked eye appearing as nothing more than a blaze of fire.

Amaya smiled slightly and the turned away, she stood and waited for a moment, just breathing, before she transformed into her falcon form and took off into the air.

She soared low, circling over the horses, letting out a shriek just to make sure, and they paused, looking up at her, and then the stallion reared and whinnied in response.

She let out another shriek and then soared off, knowing for certain that they would answer her if she called, understanding that she had not captured them out of want, but out of sheer need, and then she had set them free when she could have maintained them as her slaves. No youkai, not even the one's who lived in animal form, took things like that lightly.

They knew that they were indebted to her.

And she knew that, if she called, then would come.

Because they all knew that, in these times, there was nothing more important than the alliances they formed with one another.

And that was all they needed to know.

Because that was all that mattered.

Glossary

Mushin - The monk who, seemingly, raised and taught Miroku after his father and grandfather had been sucked into their own wind tunnels. He was possessed by a demon worm charmer and nearly killed Miroku and Inuyasha on the episode "Miroku falls into a dangerous trap". That's about all I know about him other than the fact that he's a drunk

Sango - It's an actual japanese word in itself that seems to mean coral, or post-mortem\after childbirth

Shippo - It means tail(animal). However, Shippou means something else entirely (the 7 treasures (gold, silver, pearls, agate, etc)

Baka - Idiot, fool, moron, incompetent, etc

Sake - A japenese rice "wine". It's brewed like beer.

Sayounara - Goodbye -- It's usually only used when you're not going to be seeing someone in a long time.

Youkai - Demon\monster\etc

(Also, anyone know what Miroku means? I'm having a bit of trouble finding this one out)

**SPECIAL THANX 2: Black Betty**, **Almandine-Azaleea**, **xolovexinuyasha**, **Mustluvkits101 **(Hope you feel better soon!), **RamblingPhilsopher**, **Sexy Kat**, **Darking Queen** and **sourapple10000**.

The people are the reviewers from the last chapter. They are the ones who are willing to spend time feeding my ego in hopes to get me to update again. And, unsurprisingly enough, it works! This chapter is up because of them, so if you enjoyed it you've got them to thank. I wonder how many more times I can say They or them before it really starts to get on my nerves.


	28. Mastering Minds

-Darking Queen - Well you're the expert-- I have absolutely no knowledge in categorizing stories into food.

-Almandine-Azaleea - Well you're have to wait to find out that for a little bit longer. Right now it's back to Inuyasha for a bit. But Miroku should be back in soon.

-MustluvKits101 - Oh yeah, I do that all the time. I've learned that you should never say you're going to write another chapter. It just seems to shut the creative writing area of my mind right off and then I can't write another chapter for a looooooooong time. However, by not saying it, not only do I continue to write chapters, but I also don't let anyone down by being late with a chapter. It's a win-win situation. Anyway, again, hope you fell better soon!

-Black Betty - Well it's and Inuyasha one. Not really a lot of Kagome in here though. It's kinda hard to focus on both of them at once considering their under two separate story lines in two different places. That's why I usually give them different chapters. That, and I don't usually have enough energy to write them both at once.

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, thanks! I had absolutely no idea about that! (but then again, I didn't study religion)

-sourapple10000 - Yeah, you mentioned it. Well, Miroku's not _exactly_ better yet, but he's getting there.

-Sexy Kat - I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much. It's great to know I have the ability to fool people into actually thinking I can write!

-xolovexinuyasha - Wow. Don't kill _anyone_? Man, do you realise how hard that would make the story? Everyone would be immortal! o.o -- now that's a scary thought.

A\N: Hi People! Have no idea why I'm putting my rant after the reviews, but that's the way I seem to have been doing things for the past few chapters, so... Okay, this chapter's fairly short, but we get more Inuyasha in there so that's good news. I don't know when I'll get back to Kagome-- sometime soon maybe.

Anyway, I don't have any more time right now, so I guess it's on with the story.

**DISCLAIMER - **Don't own (but wish to hell I did), don't make any money off of and have no real claim to the Inuyasha characters. Amaya is mine. The story is mine. And that is just about it.

Mastering Minds

Inuyasha's mind exploded with white light as his eyes finally opened after several minutes of just sitting there, concentrating.

Amaya smiled brightly, pleased with the progress they had made. It had only been a week, but the hanyou was catching on quickly, already past deflecting minor spells.

'Very good, Inuyasha.' She said, drawing his slightly exhausted eyes toward him. His thoughts had been arranging themselves in a very confusing manner in his mind, she knew, and it was getting harder for him to concentrate on keeping them in check _and_ blocking her out of his mind effectively.

She suspected that Miroku and Kagome were part of his sudden drive to get it all back, to do so well.

Once he had fully explained the entirety of his friends situations to him, and once he had fully begun to comprehend just how much they had meant to him, he had become more determined than ever to block her out of his mind, effectively severing the connection she had made between them once, and scaring the shit out of her in the process.

She had rushed over, thinking that Kikyo had discovered the link, only to find a curious hanyou inquiring as to whether or not it had worked, and then laughing his ass off at the sight of her enraged face.

Since then she had been teaching him how to deflect more major spells, and how to focus the energy into physical attacks. He had been getting quite good.

'You're learning very quickly.' She said, handing him a cup of water, which he drank greedily.

'I want to do it right.' He said between gulps, and she nodded in understanding.

'You mustn't push yourself to hard, Inuyasha, or you may very well erase all the progress we've done.' She reminded him, certain that it was that fact alone that prevented him from attempting to practice 24-7.

'I know.' He said, handing the cup back to her and wiping his mouth.

'Do you want to try again?' She asked, and he nodded eagerly, the exhaustion immediately leaving his eyes, as he closed them, shifting eagerly on the bed, like a puppy trying to please it's master. Amaya smiled despite herself-- they really had come far. Inuyasha was even able to deflect while standing now, and soon enough she suspected he would not even need to relax his body properly or close his eyes-- a sure sign that he was effectively in control of his mind.

Amaya waited a moment to get the element of surprise, and then attacked him with a spell that should have unleashed all the horrible memories in his mind, effectively making his emotions control him, and bringing all the horrible feelings to the front.

Inuyasha grit his teeth, his claws digging into the futon, and his face turning slightly red in the effort to deflect.

After a moment of struggle, his lips pulled back in a snarl and his eyes flew open as a sudden shot of light burst toward her, catching her hand before she had time to move.

She made a sound, more of surprise than pain, and looked down at her hand, which appeared to have a combination of a burn and a cut running across the top.

Inuyasha was looking at her with wide eyes. 'Did I do that?' He asked her quietly, and she nodded, watching him closely. He looked from it to her then back to it, and a wide grin spread across her face.

She glared. 'Well I'm glad to see my injuries amuse you-- I do not find them quite as entertaining.' She said, but Inuyasha only grinned wider and it was infectious. Amaya soon felt one of her own spreading across her lips, and she let it for a moment, before shaking her head and rising from her chair.

'You are mastering it, Inuyasha.' She said, touching his forehead gently and not bothering to keep the fondness from her voice. 'Soon you will be ready.'

His brow furrowed slightly in confusion. 'Ready for what?' He asked, and Amaya blinked, withdrawing her hand.

'To face Naraku. You do want to defeat him, don't you?' She asked. Inuyasha stared at her a moment, then slowly nodded. 'Then you must never ever let your guard down.' She continued. 'For he will use even the slightest moment of weakness to his advantage. Now' she said, reaching her fingers toward his forehead again 'I think it is time that I be leaving-- and you should get some rest as well. I must go and visit Miroku, and you need your sleep.' She said, as though answering a question he did not ask. 'I will put you into a dreamless slumber for now.' She stated, the magic already taking effect and causing Inuyasha's eyelids to droop.

He yawned widely, and then fell back to curl up on the bed, sleep taking him.

Amaya smiled and nodded, pausing to look out the window and make sure none of the Miko's servants were hovering about, before transforming herself and taking off into the night, leaving the sleeping hanyou with only the thoughts that would come when he would return to wake up and the contentedness that came with knowing he was achieving what he wanted.


	29. Don't Give Up

A\N: Well this is just a short little chapter (and a bit of a teaser). A bit more Miroku and Sango in this chapter, but I should be getting back to Inuyasha and Kagome soon enough. Can't say when though, but it looks like Amaya's got a busy future ahead of her.

Also, I was thinking back on some of the older episodes the other day, and I realised, it cannot be healthy to be the father of a half-demon. Let's think about it-- Jineji, Shiori, and Inuyasha all had demon fathers, and all of them died-- Inuyasha and Shiori's a seemingly tragic death protecting their child and "mate". What I want to know is why no half-demons seem to have demon mothers. They also all seem to have long silverish hair and, for Shiori and Inuyasha's father, is kept tied back in a ponytail and seem to look more human than most of the other demons we see. Just some of the observations I've been making lately.

-xolovexinuyasha - Yeah I kinda figured as much. Well I can't promise anything, I mean there's gotta be some sort of retaliation from Naraku-- I'm actually surprised I haven't had anyone dead yet! But I've still got a lot of characters to toy around with for a while yet before I'll be ready to start killing them off so don't worry-- if there is a death, it won't be anytime soon.

-MustluvKits101 - Lol, that's good to hear! Maybe you've discovered a new cure for sicknesses-- smoothie-drink thingys!

-Darkened Maturity - Lol, that could still take a while! Remember, Kagome is still locked away in a prison, and Inuyasha is still locked in Kikyo's grip. Either would be hard to get them out of without drawing attention. Hm. I guess I'll have to work on that...

-sourapple10000 - I'm glad you liked the last chapter. This one is again Sango and Miroku based but it's actually going to be one of the more vital chapters (I think) to my plot later on (though not for the reasons you might think). Anyway, I should get back to Inu and\or Kagome soon enough.

UGH! I hate my computer!

I haven't been able to log onto email for a couple of days, and the reviews of some people refused to show up. Anyway, they're now there, so I'm going to answer them (and hopefully everyone will get them before they read on)

-Sexy Kat - I'll put myself down if I want to! Lol, thanks though, it's nice to know people think that I'm good! Maybe that chapter was shorter, I have no idea (but it's probably not as short as this one). And there are currently 29 chapters in this story and counting. I don't know how many more chapters there'll be, it all depends on how long it takes to make the plot roll out and how long my imagination decides to work on each chapter.

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, I may end up taking you up on the offer but more likely than not I'll quite confidently put the wrong information down and end up making a fool of myself yet again. ( -- I always want to put a period or something after those but it just looks retarded!) As to why Amaya's teaching him this stuff-- well, she's teaching him it to defend against both Naraku and Kikyo, since they both were trying to block out his memories. It's also I guess a way to stop him from falling victim to the same spell again. And claypot ( -- I gotta say, until you said "her" I had absolutely no idea what you were talking about ) is still skulking around somewhere. Don't worry, she should be making an appearance soon, but I also want to get rid of her too. I hate her. She should die already. Again. But this time she should stay dead. Obsessive undead freak!

Almandine-Azaleea - Yeah! Who knows, maybe I'll actually have him fight later on in the story!

Well, that's about all I've got to say for now!

**DISCLAIMERS - **Well, the medication wore off for a little while in which time I _thought_ I owned Inuyasha and the other characters, but then the nice doctors came in and gave me my shot and the moment passed.

Don't Give Up

Miroku shivered slightly under her hand, then held mostly still.

Amaya stared down at him grimly, then stood up, moving over to the small table she had conjured so she could treat the monk's wounds.

'How is he?' Sango asked, having just woken up from the sleep Amaya had placed upon her.

'He is getting better.' Amaya said. 'But he is still far from beating it. He has a strong spirit though, stronger than most humans.' She stared keenly at the slayer. 'I wonder what he has been through to make him so resilient. It must have been a great ordeal for him to even have the will to survive with the curse on normal circumstances let alone when it is killing him the way it was.'

Sango stared at the monk, her eyes wide and sad. 'He said that he saw his own father get sucked into his wind tunnel when he was just a child. And his grandfather had done that before. And he tries to hide it, but I know he is afraid that one day, before we kill Naraku, the same will happen to him.'

Amaya's eyes narrowed slightly as she stared coolly down at the slayer. 'So you still entertain fantasies of defeating Naraku, do you?' She asked, and Sango frowned, still staring at Miroku with some kind of admiration and... love.

'Of course I do. He killed my father and my entire village using other demons and my brother. He set me against Inuyasha. Twice. Making me believe that he had slaughtered my village, and then forcing me to steal Tetsusaiga in return for Kohaku's life.'

Amaya froze slightly. 'Kohaku.' She said quietly. 'He was your brother?' Sango nodded. 'He _was_. Before Naraku killed him and put the jewel shard in his back. Now he's a slave of Naraku's. I want to free him, but... well... if I did that, I would have to remove the shard, and that would mean ending his life.' She sighed and shook her head. 'It's hopeless, I know, but I can't just give up...'

'No you can't.' Amaya said, the hint of anger in her voice drawing Sango's eyes up to her. 'And it is not hopeless.' She said, staring at Sango for a minute, before turning and heading up the stairs.

'Wait, where are you going!' Sango called after her, but Amaya didn't even pause to look back.

The sound of the dungeon door slamming shut and the click of the lock were the last things Sango heard before she was again plunged into the silent darkness that always filled the dungeon.

She sighed and leaned against the bars again, staring into the cell across from her, thankful that Amaya had been kind enough to leave a small light so she could see Miroku's face.

'_Oh Houshi.' _She thought, tears filling her eyes before she could stop them. '_You've fought so hard already. Don't give up on me now.' _She willed the monk to hear her, but she doubted he did.

'_If He ever recovers' _She thought with more resolve '_I **will** bear his child. If he asks me...' _She glared firmly over at the monk, knowing that Miroku would only ask her if he truly wanted to be with her forever-- he had never asked her without seriousness before (except the one time she became indignant that he hadn't) and she knew that he wouldn't change after this.

'_Please don't give up Houshi.' _She thought, the tears overflowing as her resolve hardened. '_I love you.' _

Miroku, of course, did not respond, but, for the first time in a long time, he went completely still, no shivers wracking his body, the only movement his rising and falling chest as he seemed to fall into a, finally, peaceful slumber.

A bit of an angsty WAFF in there. Yeesh. Never thought I'd be writing stuff like this.

**SPECIAL THANKS TO** - (Couldn't put this up before cause I didn't have everybody) - **xolovexinuyasha**, **MustluvKits101**, **Darkened Maturity**, **sourapple10000**, **Sexy Kat**, **RamblingPhilosopher **and **Almandine-Azaleea**, who are the completely awesome reviewers from the last chapter. YOU GUYS ROCK SO MUCH!


	30. Strange

A\N: The next couple of chapters are going to be short. And maybe a little bit rushed. But I think it'll be worth it in the end.

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, I'm glad you enjoyed it, but now I'm afraid I have to gravitate back to some of the _other_ characters in the story.

-lunerfox -

-Doku-Tanto - You read from 1... to 29... oo... Wow, you probably have almost as much time on your hands as me! Still, I'm glad you enjoyed it-- It's always nice to have enthusiastic readers!

-MustluvKits101 - Well that's okay, I usually rant enough for the both of us!

-Almandine-Azaleea - No Miroku or Sango in this chapter, sorry, but we've got the mention of one of the other vital characters from the anime, which means he may turn up one of these days.

-Box Queen - Wow, are you serious? Yeesh-- I had no idea. Where do you learn all this stuff?-- actually, I do have another question-- Is Kouga's tail real? I'm in serious doubt about this because he never _moves_ it and it looks like it's attached to his waist (in fact I'm almost certain it is) but I've been wrong before, and it would be nice to put that debate to rest.

-Sexy Kat - Well, she might not be so upfront about the whole "child-bearing" thing, but yeah, he should definitely wake up already so she can tell him she loves him to his face!

-sourapple10000 - Yay! I look forward to reading your next chapter!

-Darking Queen - WAFF? -- Warm and Fluffy Feeling. Lol, I'm a bit behind on some of the internet "slang" and definitions myself actually, but I'm slowly catching on. -- Lol, you're a fairly smart one ain't ya? What gave you that idea though?

Also, I would just like to point out (something I have done several times before and will likely do several times again) that that _thing_ Sesshomaru wears is _not_ his tail! I say this for five reasons 1) It's coming "out" of his shoulder for hell's sake-- how could a tail manage that? 2) It looks nothing like the _actual_ tail he has when he transforms. In fact, it looks nothing like a tail period! 3)You all remember the episode (mentioned in the story sort of) where Sesshomaru battled Inuyasha with the dragon claw to try and break Tetsusaiga? Well, when Rin found him later, he was using the fur to rest against, and you could quite clearly see both ends of it-- neither of which, I might add, were attached to him! 4)There is no muscle in the thing! It just blows\floats\trails around like a piece of... well fur! If it were his tail, wouldn't he have more control over it's movements? And 5) Toutousai himself said that it was _not _a tail. Well, more specifically he said "a _cloak_ made of some kind of fur" when he was asking Inuyasha for protection from Sesshomaru.

Now, I'm a reasonably unreasonable person most of the time I think, but right now I'm fairly certain that this is enough evidence to prove once and for all that that whatever-the-hell-it-is is _not_ a tail. Yes, I have put a lot of thought into this, and Yes, I do have _way _too much time on my hands, but that really doesn't have anything to do with anything. The point is that, like Inuyasha (who ended up with dog _ears _for hell's sake) Sesshomaru seems to have absolutely no tail when he's not transformed.

Anyway, I'm done now, on with the story

**DISCLAIMER - **Don't own the characters (except the OC's), Don't claim to own them, Don't make any money off of them, so Don't sue.

Strange

'Kagome.' Amaya's voice rang through the small dungeon, effectively startling Kagome and waking her.

'Huh?' Kagome asked, starting slightly as she blinked around to try and locate the sorceress, who was crouching down near the end of the bars, staring intently at her.

'You spoke to me of a brother of Inuyasha's-- a Sessumaru or something.' Kagome blinked, reaching up to rub the sleep out of her eyes as she scrunched her face up to try and think straight.

'Yeah... Sesshomaru-- Inuyasha's half brother. What about him?'

'I need to know about his sword-- the Tenseiga you spoke of.' The woman demanded, and Kagome blinked, finding it oddly funny that the woman had remembered the name of the sword, but not the name of the demon himself.

'Tenseiga?' Kagome said blearily, blinking up at her, trying to organize her thoughts.

'Stop being such an incompetent, we don't have time!' Amaya snarled, making Kagome jump in surprise. She considered getting angry, but realised that the sorceress was serious about this, that it was clearly something important, and anything that Amaya considered important must truly be so.

'It was made from his father's fang, like Inuyasha's, only it brings humans back to life. That's at least what Toutousai says.'

'Toutousai?' Amaya asked, momentarily distracted.

Kagome nodded. 'He forged the swords.' She said. 'He's the one who made the Tetsusaiga and told Inuyasha about the Wind Scar that Inuyasha finally managed to use after Sesshomaru started attacking him and tried to break Tetsusaiga--'

'Break it?' Amaya asked sharply, not missing a beat. 'But you told me before that he wished to steal it.'

'Well at first he did, when Inuyasha chopped off his arm--'

'Inuyasha chopped off his arm?' She asked, wondering just how much of this story she was missing.

'Mmhm.' Kagome said, nodding her head in confirmation. 'When he first tried to take the Tetsusaiga, it was trapped in their father's grave that was inside Inuyasha's eye, and Sesshomaru went in there and they got into a fight and Inuyasha chopped off his arm, and he can't get it back now because it's still locked in Inuyasha's eye. And then-- hey wait! Where are you going?' Kagome asked as the sorceress rose and began to swiftly descend the stairs.

'Where I need to.' The woman called back, and then the dungeon door slammed closed, and Kagome was left to contemplate her words.

'Well that was strange.' Kagome said out loud, for no other reason than to have something to fill the silence that threatened to consume the room. 'I wonder what that was all about.'


	31. Grave Mistakes

A\N: Nothing to say right now except that I might not be updating this story for a little bit. Sorry, got stuff to do, people to see, places to be... well, stuff to do anyway.

-Almandine-Azaleea - No idea-- first there'll probably have to be some more confusion, and then some more angst-- and then I might get some fluff in there.

-Darking Queen - Lol, that's an interesting description. Most people don't think of Amaya as twitchy, but I suppose at that particular moment in time she was.

-sourapple10000 - I know, me either!

-MustluvKits101 - You mean you have moments when your computer's being smart? Luck you:)

-lunerfox - Lol, I don't mind, I love helpin where I can. Kawaii has a few meanings, but I think the foremost one's are pretty, cute, lovely, charming, dear and darling. Hm. Actually, you know what? I think that might be all it's meanings.

-xolovexinuyasha - Well, actually, thanks to some help from "box queen" (who seems to have (unlike me) some real idea as to what she's talking about) apparently it actually _is_ a sort of fashion statement to declare status. And that's what Kouga's tail is there for as well... it occurs to me that the japanese demon's of the feudal era had some fairly strange traditions back then. Lol.

-Box Queen - Well, Sesshomaru hardly needs that whatever-the-hell-it-is to gain respect. I mean, other than Naraku and Inuyasha and the panther demons, there aren't a whole lot of people who would dare to oppose him.

-Sexy Kat - I love them! (But only when I'm writing them!) And We'll get to Sesshomaru soon enough, but as for Kouga, I think I already explained what happened to him... in chapter 20 I think... yeah, I said "He is still alive.' The woman said. 'Naraku took his shards but, after realising that he could not use the full jewel for his intent, he placed the tainted shards back in his legs and now the ookami serves him as one of his mightiest warriors.'

'Stupid baka wolf. I always knew he'd go running to whatever side was strongest.' Inuyasha muttered, rage filling him at the thought of the wolf's betrayal.

The woman frowned. 'You misunderstand, hanyou. He serves him because the shards control him-- not because he has the will to do so. He fought Naraku with all of his being. Unfortunately, that is not enough to withstand the power of the corrupted soul in the jewel.' She said matter-of-factly, before standing up."

Anyway, hope that helps.

-Black Betty - I'm glad you're enjoying them! I'm afraid that sometimes I just don't give people that much of a chance to review at all anyway.

**Disclaimer - **I don't own the Inuyasha anime characters. I _do _own the OC as well as the story. The rest goes to Rumiko Takahashi and she's the only one to make any money off of anything.

Grave Mistakes 

Amaya flew swiftly and with very little caution toward the temple, bursting through the unlatched windows without pausing to see if Kikyo was there and causing Inuyasha to make a noise of surprise.

'Amaya!' He said, his voice instantly loosing all anger as he realised who it was. 'I'm so glad you're here, Kikyo--'

'Inuyasha, I cannot talk now, I did not come here for a visit.' She said sharply after she transformed, cutting him off. 'I need to go into the grave.'

Inuyasha froze, staring at her in confusion. 'What grave?' He asked, though in his mind he thought he knew.

Amaya glared. 'This is no time for games, hanyou.' She said, the first time she had called him that in days. 'The grave in your right eye where you hold your brother's arm hostage. I need to go in there and retrieve it.' Inuyasha gaped at her for a moment, all thoughts of Kikyo completely fleeing him.

'B-but... why?' He asked, suddenly unsure of exactly whose side this woman was on if she would want to help Sesshomaru.

Amaya glared. 'I have my reasons. But without that arm I cannot effectively free all of your friends. We need your brother's alliance, Inuyasha, and this is the most effective way to get it. Now are you going to let me retrieve it willingly, or am I going to have to force it out of you?' She asked.

Inuyasha stared at her, wide-eyed (in hindsight, probably not the best expression he could have worn considering it was his eye this woman was after) and then shook his head.

'No, you don't have to force me.' He said, resigning himself to the fact that, one way or the other, she would get what she wanted.

'Arigato.' Amaya said, reaching into his right eye while he desperately resisted the urge to clamp them shut, before extracting the small pearl that was his fathers grave and waiting for it to expand before stepping through.

He waited uncomfortably there for a moment for her to return, unconsciously pondering whether or not he should just put the pearl back with her inside. The thoughts fled him, however, when she emerged again, carrying his brother's arm.

They waited for the pearl to retract, and then she placed it back in his eye, before moving toward the window.

'Wait!' Inuyasha said as the wind began to form around her, startled that she was leaving already, and Amaya paused, the wind dying down. 'What... I mean, is that it? Is that all you came for?'

Amaya raised an eyebrow. 'I told you already, Inuyasha, I do not have time to visit right now. I have something that needs to be dealt with immediately. Don't worry, I will return soon.' She said, and then the wind rose and she took off into the sky, Sesshomaru's arm clutched in her talons.

Inuyasha sighed and leaned against the window, unable to suppress the feeling that he'd just made the biggest mistake of his life.


	32. Alliance

A\N: Wow. I just saw a really weird site called "Sesshomaru: The Killing Perfection. Well, actually, I don't know if the site was weird-- I didn't go to it, but it's an odd title. Maybe because it's so true.

Huh, this is kinda funny-- I just finished a chapter for another story I'm writing (that you'll probably never see) and it was called "Alliances". At least, I think it was. I don't know, my brain is completely fried right now.

Anyway, on with the reviews (30 more and I'll have 200! oo -- Do you fucking believe that? ):

sourapple10000 - Really? I actually talk about him a lot, but then again, I suppose it would be a lot of work to go through and read all of my rants and then try and make coherent sense of them and try to fit them in with the story.

xolovexinuyasha - Oh really? Hm. I'll have to check it out. Do you know a good site to view those little episode clips? Everyone I go to is a complete bust. -- I don't find it that hard to believe that it doesn't move in the manga book-- most drawings don't usually tend to move around all that much.

-Box Queen - Lol, yeah. I guess there's a plus side to everything. "Every cloud has a silver lining." Unless, of course, you're a pessimist, in which case Every silver lining has a cloud.

RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, it's nice to know that people are enjoying my story so much that I actually _can_ keep them hanging. Anyway, you're going to have to live with it for a little while I'm afraid, cause I'll probably have more things to do with Sess and I'm not entirely certain about the way I'm portraying his character in this fic. And besides that, I've reached another sort of writers block for this story, and (on top of all that) I still need to work on my other neglected stories, not to mention my sketches and my schoolwork. Yeesh. I've got more on my plate then I first thought.

Sexy Kat - Don't worry -- All shall be revealed in this chapter (and lets hope I don't ruin the story by doing so! )

Black Betty - Oh yeah, I kinda forgot about that... sighs well I guess that'll end up putting him even more out of character. I can't get my mind out of the past episodes of the tv show whenever I write these chapters, and sometimes I forget important details from the future episodes and\or movies. It can really mess things up sometimes. Still, in my opinion you'd think he'd _want _it back, considering it's the only arm he could attach to his body that probably wouldn't be destroyed by his power or whatever.

MewMewFireHeart - Interesting... well, I don't much care if the article says otherwise, I absolutely refuse to refer to that _thing_ as being Sesshomaru's tail. It just seems to ridiculous to me. Nope, I'll go with Box queens idea that it's just a symbol of royalty or nobility. Thanks anyway though-- even if I am to stubborn to pay heed to your evidence, and I'm glad you like the story so much (cute heart by the way)

Lost Soul 4 Rizzle - Yeah, just try and keep up with me! Come on, I dare ya! Lol, I actually don't think there's a single person on here whose been able to (or wanted to) review for every chapter. You gotta keep a close eye on me or else I go flying off without you and you really have to work to catch up! . As to your story-- It's great that I could inspire you! To tell the truth, when I first started this as a one-shot and wasn't sure if I was going to continue (how long ago was that again?) (what the hell kind of idiot was I?) I was considering telling people to go ahead and write another chapter to it if they wanted-- so long as I got credit for writing the first one. Anyway, the point is, I don't mind you borrowing my idea-- because really you didn't. As far as I can see from your description, our two stories will turn out nothing at all alike, since yours has to do with time-travel and Naraku becoming baby Inu's father and mine has to do with fucked up relationships and memory loss and elaborate plots and escape attempts. Anyway, I've lost my train of thought once again (I'm sure I'll find it eventually, but I don't want to make you wait _that_ long) but, as I said before, I'm glad I could inspire the writer in you, and don't worry-- there's nothing wrong with having something wrong with you. What's wrong is having nothing wrong with you. That's just crazy and sure to drive everyone else around you insane. That is, if they're not that already. Which I am, but I'm not _technically_ around you I guess. Yeesh, I better stop talking now! Glad you like the story so much!

**Disclaimer - **Take a wild guess at what I was going to put here. Come on, I know you can figure it out-- you're all relatively smart people!

Alliance

Amaya sighed in frustration as she soared over the forests that inhabited the western lands.

She had known as soon as she'd entered Lord Sesshomaru's borders, because the land went from burnt and black to green and thriving.

However, despite the fact that there were traces of life everywhere, there was no sign of the demon lord himself, and she was beginning to get irritated. Twice already she had been attacked by foolish birds and youkai attempting to steal the arm from her, and she was getting quite sick of having no way but her beak and her otherwise occupied claws to defend herself.

'_Dammit. If I do not find him soon, I shall have to leave and come up with a different plan. I cannot afford to fly around wasting time looking for a baka demon lord!' _In truth, she knew that Sesshomaru was no fool. She had never met him personally, but she had heard rumours of him from Kagura. The cast-off of Naraku had revealed little, but Amaya had seen something flicker in the wind sorceress' eyes, and had known something was up.

Later, when the girl had been training, her mind at it's weakest state (contrary to popular belief, the weakest point of a mind was _not_ sleep, for then the persons mind was letting it's subconscious-- the most real part of the person's mind-- take control. A person's mind was more dangerous than ever when they slept. But when a person was fighting, they were concentrating on their body, not their mind, and it left it venerable and open to attack.) she had looked into her mind and perceived that the woman had once asked Sesshomaru to help destroy Naraku.

The thought had surprised her, but she had not revealed it to Naraku. She knew that Kagura suffered greatly, and wanted nothing more than her freedom. The fact that she had risked so much and gone to the Taiyoukai for help to escape from Naraku was proof enough of her need.

The sound of something whizzing through the air toward her, and she caught sight of something long -- like a snake-- and glowing violently yellow caught her eyes, and she snapped her wings up, shooting into the air as the thing whizzed past her and chopped off the branches of several trees instead.

Amaya quickly set the arm down on a high branch out of reach and sight of the attacker, and braced herself to fight.

She scanned the forest and caught a flash of silver that even some youkai eyes may have failed to perceive.

Concentrating her power directly in front of her, she shot through the air, the small spirit-shield she had conjured before her streaking purple through the air as she soared toward the demon.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed imperceptibly as he watched the bird soar toward him, certain now that this was no ordinary creature. At first he had been curious, because he had seen the creature-- a tiny speck soaring high above him, carrying something that looked like a limb in it's talons-- and he had smelled the unique smell upon her that could only be Inuyasha.

Intrigued, Sesshomaru had sniffed again, and discovered other scents laying under his brothers, human and demon alike, but one particularly caught his attention and made his eyes glow slightly red. Naraku.

In a flash he had had his whip out, and sent it flying toward the creature-- but by some strange sense of perception, the creature had heard it coming, and, using a speed no animal should possess, it had shot out of the way before the whip could hit it.

The creature had soared out of sight for a moment, but Sesshomaru could sense it's presence and knew it was not gone.

Sure enough, a second later the bird was back, shooting toward him with a strange purple light surrounding it.

He waited until the last second, and then easily dodged out of the creature's path. However, as he moved, the shield about the bird grew, and the force of it grazing against him sent him spiralling backwards and, too stunned to catch himself, into a tree.

Before the youkai lord had time to get up, Amaya transformed while still airborne, knowing that she would not get the chance to if he got up.

As her human self landed as gracefully as a human could on the ground and turned to face the youkai lord, he was again standing, facing her with his passive face, the whip limp at his side in a way that suggested only morbid curiosity was stopping him from killing her right there and then. And, she realised a moment later, it probably was.

'Konnichiwa, Lord Sesshomaru of the west.' She said, bowing deeply in a sign of respect she would never display for Naraku, baring her back to the demon and hoping he would not slaughter her in the process. She still had a weak spirit-shield up, but she did not know if it would withstand an attack from such close-quarters.

The Taiyoukai said nothing, and, after a moment, Amaya realised he wasn't going to. She realised that she would have to do all the talking for the moment with this strangely noble and elegant youkai, and, as she stared at him, she found it slightly hard to believe he and Inuyasha were brothers.

They had the same silver hair and the same yellow eyes, but that was seemingly all the two brothers shared. Sesshomaru was calm, cool, and saw everything and everyone to be beneath him. Inuyasha was hot-tempered and eager to learn, and he held his emotions in his eyes for all the world to see-- if they would only look deep enough. No, the brothers were obvious contradictions to themselves.

'I come with a proposition for you.' She said, hoping he might take the bait and talk with her for a moment instead of just slicing her in half.

'What proposition could a ningen that bears the stench of Naraku have for me?' He asked. 'You are not one of his cast-offs like Kagura-- even Naraku would not stoop to make a ningen for his own benefit-- so what are you?' He said, and it was more than he had wanted to say, but he was curious for the moment, and knew that, even if he had slipped, it was not enough to do serious damage.

'You are right there, Lord Sesshomaru.' She said. 'I am not one of Naraku's cast-offs, for which I am eternally thankful, but unfortunately Kagura and I share similar circumstances, though I have not come for the same reasons as her. Not entirely anyway.' When Sesshomaru said nothing, did nothing except to stare, Amaya continued. 'The demon Naraku has taken many prisoners-- your brother included-- and has many under his rule as his slaves. I have a plan to free them, and overthrow Naraku, but I will be needing your aide.' She said.

Sesshomaru looked at her impassively, and Amaya mentally sighed, getting seriously annoyed.

'In exchange' she said, mentally calling the arm to her. She held her own arms out before her and Sesshomaru's eyes widened almost imperceptibly as his own arm began to materialize there. 'I will give you this.' She said, holding the arm out, then glancing at the current arm he possessed-- which happened to be none.

'Your brother told me you had some trouble with the others you possessed.' She said as his eyes remained fixed, still impassive, on the arm in her hands.

Finally, Sesshomaru's eyes moved up to meet hers, and she could see the very faint tint of red in them, knowing she was treading on dangerous ground, and just wondering how far she had left to go before the ice she walked on would break.

'What do you want?' He asked, and Amaya smiled. 'You are very much to the point, aren't you, Lord?' She asked, then added 'I want you to help battle when the time comes.' She said. 'But for now, I simply want you to use your sword' she indicated what she was pretty certain to be Tenseiga (the guy had two swords!) at his side 'to help revive someone.'

Sesshomaru was quiet for a moment, then said 'I see no one with you. Even should I choose to aide you, I cannot use Tenseiga on someone I cannot see.'

'If you were blind would you still be able to use the sword?' She asked, further straining the ice, then added 'I do not have him here. I will bring him to you... that is... if you have agreed to help.'

Sesshomaru coolly at her. 'I could kill you now, ningen.' He said, more as a statement in general than a threat. Amaya shrugged. 'I figure, if you had planned to, you would have done so already.' She said, acknowledging the fact that he _could_ kill her, if for no other reason than to boost his ego and make him certain he could trust her.

She decided it best not to point out that she could send the arm back into the pearl in the instant it would take him to reach her, and then he would never see it again.

'Do we have an alliance?' She asked after a moment, getting slightly irritated at the youkai's patient way of doing things. There simply wasn't time for _that_ much consideration right now.

Sesshomaru gave a barely perceptible nod of his head, and Amaya smiled, amazed that her plan had actually worked, and then, using her power, sent the arm flying toward the youkai, who caught it easily in his other arm-- which was quite the strange sight to see, even to Amaya.

When the arm was securely reattached, Sesshomaru looked at her, not even bothering to make sure the arm still worked, and she stared back at him for a moment, before mentally rolling her eyes and bowing low to the youkai.

'Arigato, Lord Sesshomaru. I should return within the next few days with the boy I wish you to revive.' She said, feeling more confident around the taiyouaki as the wind began to rise around her. 'Try not to make yourself too hard to find.' She said, before her throat constricted and she lost the ability to talk, her body finishing it's transformation.

She burst from the ground, whipping through the air, while behind her Sesshomaru stared impassively after her, then at his newly attached arm, wondering what in all the seven hells had just happened.

A\N: Well? Did I completely total Sess's character?

**SPECIAL THANKS TO** - (Ha! Bet you all thought I'd forgotten this! Nope, I didn't forget, the truth is I simply haven't had all that much time lately and I couldn't fit the thanks in (sad I know) so gomen for that! Anyway, it's here now, so this'll apply to this and the last two chapters!) - **RamblingPhilosopher**, **lunerfox**, **Ricky Martin 4ever**, **MustluvKits101**, **Almandine-Azaleea**, **Box Queen, Sexy Kat**, **sourapple1000**, **Darking Queen**, **xolovexinuyasha**, **Black Betty**, **Darking Queen**, **MewMewFireHeart** and **Lost Soul 4 Rizzle **- The are the completely, totally fucking awesome reviewers from the last few chapters, and they deserve far more than my thanx for their awesome reviews and support, which is the reason this story has come even half this far!

Current Music of Choice - (Don't know why-- just some songs I feel like listening to at the moment) Stop crying your heart out-- Oasis, Love me when I'm gone -- 3 doors down, Fukai Mori (Deep Forest)-- Do as Infinity.


	33. Everything Will be Alright

A\N: Well this chapter has more WAFF. Yuck. But there's some angst mixed in there as well, so that's a good thing. I can't write a good fic without angst and that's just all there is to it.

Okay, so the last chapter got the most reviews out of any so far. Including chapter one! How cool is that! I'm gaining lots of new reviewers to this story, and am managing to keep the older ones with me as well! This story must be better than I thought!

kagomeinuluv - Lots of people are beginning to swarm to it. I think my summary with Tenseiga caught people's interest (since everyone love Sess so much!). Anyway, I'll do my best to try and keep you on the edge of your seat for the rest of the story (though I don't know how long that'll be) and hope you continue to enjoy it.

MustluvKits101 - Thanx, I will, and all that other stuff.

-Box Queen - Thanks!

-Sexy Kat - I don't know when I'll get to Kagome or Inuyasha, let alone both of them together. First I have to get Inuyasha away from Kikyo and Kagome away from Naraku and I have to do that without neglecting all the other characters and still attempting to make it believable while keeping everyone in character and adding enough details and angst and excitement to keep everybody (including me) interested. It's hard work! Also, no, Sheepily is not a word-- I think what you were going for was Sheepishly. Similar but different.

-Lost Soul 4 Rizzle - Well obviously it wouldn't decompose, I mean that would totally ruin _my _story and make it really difficult to continue now wouldn't it? Lol, in truth, I don't think there really would be a way for it _to _decompose. I mean, it might rot a little, but there's nothing there-- no flies or maggots or fungus or anything like that to really make it break down. Besides, Sess could always use his youkai powers to heal it. -- So why the sudden change of identity? You in WPP?

-RamblingPhilosopher - Wow. You're an even bigger Sess fan that I am aren't you? Lol, I'm glad I kept in check, it's actually surprisingly hard for a guy who has like no emotion or facial expression. But then again, _that _is what makes it hard. You have to try and have him interact with other people and express how he's reacting to what they say without him actually revealing how he's feeling to anyone-- always keeping him in character as one big stoic block of ice. He may get a bit OOC in future chapters (and yes, he most certainly will be back!), but I'll hopefully explain exactly why that happens and make it believable. Actually, I think I did a much better job on one of my _other _stories (not on but he's sliding out of character on that one too.

-Black Betty - Yes, well, that was kinda the point you know. : )

-sprinda - ohohohohohohohohohohohoh--kay!

-MewMewFireHeart - I'm afraid I'm gonna have to not really respond to that because then I'll start ranting very aggressively again and you'll never get me to stop. But I'm glad you agree nonetheless.

-Almandine-Azaleea - I won't tell you. I don't like spoiling things for people. Actually, that's not true, I just like keeping people in suspense: )

-xolovexinuysaha - Well yeah you are. And better that than an awesome totally fucking reviewer. Well, I guess two out of three ain't bad-- I'm not even sure why I put that there-- purely impulse I guess. I'm a very spontaneous person actually. It's was pure impulse that made me write the first chapter of this story, and purely impulse that's had me continuing it (plus the awesome reviews from the awesome reviewers! ) And if you read on in this chapter you'll find out who she's having revived.

-Darking Queen - Well you can that that, but I can't promise that it's true. After all, I've now got how many characters to deal with? There's Amaya, Inuyasha, Kagome, Naraku, Sango, Miroku, Sesshomaru, Kouga (not right now, but I'll have to deal with him eventually won't I?) Kikyo, those fire-demon horses, Shippo, Kirara, Kohaku and a whole bunch of other people I haven't had in yet that I fully plan to put in in future chapters. Do you think I can finish up the summary and interactions and escape plans and battles and all that other stuff between all of these characters in a few chapters?

-lunerfox - I wasn't even aware I had a bad self! But I guess I must, cause otherwise I wouldn't be writing a story like this!

Everything Will be Alright

'You gave him his arm back?' Sango nearly yelled, then lowered her voice as Miroku stirred slightly in his sleep.

The monk's condition was getting better everyday, but he still wasn't off the thin ice yet.

'Why the hell would you do that?' Sango asked quietly, as Amaya stared at her with an impassiveness that could have rivalled the very demon lord they were talking about.

'Do you love your brother, Sango?' She asked, and Sango blinked, surprised, then narrowed her eyes.

'What does Kohaku have to do with any of this?' She demanded, trying to build a connection in her mind. Maybe she was trying to make a point about Inuyasha... they were brothers after all... maybe Inuyasha had asked her to do this?

'I will answer your question if you answer mine.' The sorceress said calmly, and Sango stared at her suspiciously for a moment, before sighing. 'Yes. I love Kohaku.' She said.

'Even after all he did? All he has yet to do?' Amaya asked, and Sango's eyes narrowed again.

'What are you getting at? What is this all about' Sango asked hotly, not liking this string of questions at all. To her surprise, Amaya answered.

'I have developed a plan to retrieve Kohaku from Naraku's hold-- it should not be too difficult since Naraku does not use Kohaku anymore, and only keeps him alive as leverage-- however, in order to do so, I need to be able to remove the shard from his back. He would die if I did that, so I need Sesshomaru to right that little difficulty with his Tenseiga. However, before I go to all the work of achieving this goal, I need to make sure that this boy is really worth it. Does he still have a place in your heart?'

Sango blinked, then her eyes widened slightly as the sorceress' words sunk in. 'You mean you can get Kohaku back?' She asked. Amaya stared coolly at her, then nodded slowly.

'He will have to serve me though, as a warrior, in the final battle-- and it will be final.' She said, her face dark. 'We will either achieve life and restore what we can that was lost, or we will be lost entirely in the shadow of Naraku and his poisons. However, I somehow doubt that Kohaku would be entirely trusting of me, even once I manage to free him-- I need you to convince him.'

Sango clung to the bars, staring blankly at the floor, the fire gone from her eyes to be replaced by exhaustion and then determination.

'I can convince him.' She said, and Amaya raised an eyebrow. 'You are certain? In this plan there can be no room for doubt.' Sango bit her lip, hesitating for a moment, then nodding her head. 'I can.' She said, and Amaya stared at her, her dark eyes devoid of emotion.

'You better be able to, Sango. The fate of this entire thing-- and your brother's face, lies on you.' She said, heading toward the stairs, pausing to look back over her shoulder. 'If you cannot, then I'm afraid Kohaku may have to be killed.'

Sango stared after the woman as the dungeon door again swung closed, then looked back over at Miroku, blinking back the tears stinging her eyes.

A small mewl at her side drew her eyes to Kirara, who stared steadily at her, and then transformed suddenly in a small blaze of fire.

Sango stared at the fire-cat for a moment and it stared steadily back at her, before moving forward and gently nudging her shoulder.

That was her undoing.

Sango collapsed against Kirara, her hands tangling and pulling at the youkai's soft fur as she cried into Kirara's soft fur, the cat ignoring the irritation the yanks on her fur caused.

Her large demonic ears twitched and perked slightly, and she glanced over at the cell across from them just in time to see Miroku's eyes scrunch slightly, then open, blinking in disorientation around him.

Kirara made a small noise, drawing the monk's eyes to her, and he stared in blank confusion at them for a moment, before he seemed to realise the circumstances they were currently in.

He took in the sight of the crying Sango, and, after a moment of straining, managed to pull himself to his feet.

Sango didn't hear him over her agonized sobs as he stumbled and then practically collapsed by the bars, ignoring Kirara's growl of warning that he shouldn't be moving.

Perhaps it was that that caused Sango to look up, though she looked at the fire-cat, not at the monk, grasping the fur more tightly still. 'I'm sorry, Kirara.' She said, then froze as another voice reached her ears, one so familiar, but one that she hadn't heard in so long...

'Sango.'

Sango's head spun around toward the monk, who was leaning against the bars, using them mostly to support his weight as he stared across at her. Sango stared at him, red-rimmed eyes wide with shock.

'Are you alright?' The monk asked, his voice weak and slightly strained. He swallowed audibly, but continued to stare at Sango with concern evident in his features.

'Miroku...' Sango said softly, her emotions running wild and her mind spinning. Then something seemed to click, and she flung herself toward the bars, ignoring the small yelp that escaped the fire-cat as several hairs parted company with it's body, her cry of 'Houshi!' Overlapping and drowning out the sound.

Miroku looked slightly startled at her reaction as she leaned against the bars, tears running down her face again, her hand reaching between the bars toward him.

Miroku did not hesitate to lift his hand and take hers in it, though it took him several seconds to accomplish the task due to his weakened state.

'Are you alright?' He asked again after a moment of silence where their hands began to relearn each other. Sango stared at him and a hiccup escaped her lips, not sure whether to be happy or sad.

'The sorceress... Amaya... she said... she said that she could free Kohaku.' Sango managed to choke out in broken sobs, and Miroku blinked, wondering in his baffled and exhausted mind how that was possible, and deciding that it was not worth pondering at the moment.

'But... she... she s-said that... that if Kohaku wouldn't help us in battle... that she would have to kill him.' She stared into Miroku's deep eyes as her own filled with tears again. 'Miroku, I don't know what to do-- what if I can't make him trust us again? What if he doesn't remember me--'

Miroku cut her off with a gentle squeezing of her hand. 'Don't worry Sango.' He said slowly, his throat straining with the effort. 'He'll remember you.'

Sango sniffed. 'You don't know that.' She said miserably.

'Yes I do.' Miroku said more firmly. 'He already is reluctant to kill you, and that is with the shard in his back. He...' He paused to swallow again 'he will remember everything and trust you when he is alive again.' Sango looked at him, desperately wanting to believe him.

'Do you think so?' She asked, her desperation shining through clearly in her tear-choked voice.

'I know so.' Miroku said, and, unable to bring her hand to his lips, placed a kiss on his injured hand, and, shaking slightly with the exertion, reached out and gently touched it to the one he still held, holding it like that for a moment, before quickly drawing it back as pain began to shoot through his arm.

Sango's eyes grew slightly wide again, as fresh tears of a different kind rose in her eyes, trickling down the rivers already streaming along her face and falling to the grimy dungeon floor. 'I love you Miroku.' She said gently, quietly, testing the words out loud, and both paused a moment to take in their effect.

Then Miroku smiled, and squeezed her hand tighter. 'I love you as well Sango.' He said gently, his eyes filled with a tenderness rarely shown there, and Sango felt her heat swell slightly in response.

'Don't worry.' Miroku said. 'Everything will be alright.'

And Sango smiled gently, even though in her heart, she wasn't entirely sure she believed him.

A\N: Alright, there you go all you Miroku\Sango lovers. I hope you enjoyed that chapter and their little interaction and the little bit of fluff in there, cause the whole thing sickens me. Bleargh! I need to have something dark and angsty in there already! Hm. Then again, I haven't dealt with Inuyasha in a while, and come to think of it, he did seem pretty upset in that last chapter that he was in...

CMoC (Current Music of Choice) -- (This has absolutely no relevance to the story what so ever) -- Don't Go Away - Oasis, I hate everything about you - Three Days Grace, I want to Change the World - V6, Bad Day - Daniel Powter and Scars - Papa Roach.

Again, these are just songs that randomly popped into my head while I was writing out the reviews not the actual story, so they have no relevance to anything really. Will probably be gone by next chapter.


	34. Baka Youkai

A\N: Hey Hey everyone!

Guess what?

There are now 195 reviews!

Anybody else believe that?

one hundred and ninty-fucking-five!

o.o

Insane, isn't it?

Anyway, this chapter is a fair sized chapter I think. Things are starting to get interesting again. Sess should be in the next chapter (I think) and then I'll probably go back to Inuyasha for a bit. What I have in store for him might surprise more than a few of you though, so be ready for it!

-Almandine-Azaleea - Well it should be suspenseful, after all that's only like three of the characters in this story so far. It's interesting-- I've gotten Amaya so wrapped up and given her so much personality that people are becoming fond of her and don't want me to kill her. That could make it more difficult before the end... Lol. -- Thanks for reviewing Farwell, my beloved Sango! I'm glad you enjoyed that fic so much!

-Lost Soul 4 Rizzle - Lol, WPP - Witness Protection Program. I have a habit of shortening things down like that and then nobody knows what the hell I'm talking about. It's kind of funny actually. Yeah, if and when they kill Naraku in that thing, Kagura and Sess will probably end up together. And rin and Kohaku may very well end up together as well (though only when they get older). The only ones who don't really stand a chance are Inuyasha and Kagome. Unless, of course, Inuyasha became human (to get rid of the jewel) and then went to live in Kagome's time (if the well allowed it that is). Yeesh. What a nightmare that'd be. 

-Black Betty - Lol, actually you can say whatever the hell you damn well want. The question is whether or not it will effect how I write my story. Which, no offence, but it probably won't. If I want to write something a certian way and have something happen a certain way then that's the way it's gonna be. End of story. As my family so often tells me-- I am nothing if not stubborn.

-sourapple10000 - Oh that was a great chapter in your story! Inuyasha kidnapping Kagome! HA! Face it Kagome, you're going back to the feudal era one way or another-- whether you like it or not!

-xolovexinuyasha - Well, I actually don't think there's a story on the web that's made me cry yet. I'm just not that emotional like that. Didn't cry at the end of Titanic, LotR, Romeo and Juliet. I was more like: Well, that was a fairly decent ending-- lots of emotion in there. Okay, what's for dinner? Lol. Still, I _do _like writing _dark _fics (and when I say dark I mean **dark** dark) and if you were to take a look at some of my work (which is not appropriate for this site) you would understand exactly how fucked up my little mind is. Also-- maybe we do have the same taste in music, but I don't know. I rarely actually like a particular band or singer-- I just like songs. So long as it's not country (which is just bad) and Rap (which is _not _music) I'll usually listen to it. I may not always like it, but I'll usually listen to it. What can I say-- I don't march to the beat of a different drum-- I march to the beat of a different instrument altogether!

-MewMewFireHeart - Now why does everyone insist on calling her claypot? Wouldn't something like undead bitch be more fitting? Lol, in case you haven't noticed, I really don't like Kikyo. The only thing I like about her is her voice (which gives her one up on Kagome-- the only thing I like about her is her ability to "sit" Inuyasha-- which she totally abuses and overdoes anyway!).

-lunerfox - Sure I'll look at it, just give me a minute... Goes off to read story...Haha! Now this seems interesting! What's happening to poor little Kagome? You might want to add a bit of detail to the talking so we can tell whose saying what a bit more easily (I get really annoyed when someone says something in a story and then I don't know who said it and then I sit there for fifteen minutes trying to figure out who did. I'm not saying that you did this, but...) but other than that it's really well written and a certainly interesting plot! I can't wait to read more of it! How come it's only got seven reviews? Ugh! Stupid people! fumes and glares angrily at non-reviewers Stupid baka people! It's not like it's _hard _to review-- you just click a button and type and then click the button again. Wow. Actually, you know what, on second thought that does seem a little too strenuous. It's not like we're superman you know?

-Box Queen - Soon enough for ya?

-Darking Queen - Hey, that's okay! I only know what I'm talking about maybe 40 of the time, and I'm usually just talking in my sleep when that happens! Lol, you're right, we are probably only about halfway through. To be honest, I think this story may very well get up to fifty chapters before I'm done with it. It's just the way things have to be-- I haven't even gotten all the people into one place yet! Let alone introduced all the characters I'm gonna need...

-MustluvKits101 - I know... it's freaky...

-Sexy Kat - You're welcome, Sexy Kat! lol, that's weird, I think that's the first time someone's said my penname.

Okay, well, I have to get up _real _early tomorrow to do some shit for school, so I'm gonna be going now! Ciao!

Baka Youkai

'Amaya?' The voice was soft and tentative, but Amaya's eyes immediately snapped over to the source of the voice. Kagome was staring up at her, pure concern etched on her face, and Amaya frowned and glared at the girl.

'What?' She demanded, more snappish then she had meant to, but Kagome didn't seem to mind. The girl was seriously beginning to get on the sorceress' nerves with her silent unrequited concern and worry and her constant questions and foolish fears-- it made Amaya wonder exactly what the hell happened to the ningen race to make them so weak in the girl's time.

'You were falling asleep.' Kagome said after a moment, and Amaya blinked, then narrowed her eyes again.

'What would make you think that?' She said, her voice low and menacing, daring the girl to say the wrong thing. Kagome, of course, was unaffected. She was used to the woman's strange and sudden mood swings and bouts of anger, her ability to sometimes trail off in the middle of a sentence, looking lost deep in thought, and then turning suddenly and leaving before Kagome could even question what had preoccupied her in the first place.

'Your eyes were closed and you weren't paying attention to what I was saying.' Kagome said, and Amaya raised an eyebrow.

'You assume much, Kagome, to think that I would simply fall asleep. If you are going to make assumptions, at least make reasonable ones. Perhaps what you were telling me was simply too bland and boring for me to _want_ to listen.'

Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes. 'Alright.' She said exasperatedly, earning her a glare from the sorceress, who then abruptly turned and left, storming up the stairs with enough wrath to make the guards cringe slightly as she walked past.

How dare that stupid ningen girl accuse her of falling asleep!

But, then again, she was pretty tired. Amaya slowed slightly as this thought occurred to her.

It was true, she was tired. She had not slept and had barely eaten since she had retrieved Mushin, and it was beginning to take it's toll on her. Silently, she cursed her weak human body as she stormed toward one of the other dungeons-- this one lacking any guards for security reasons.

If anyone came and attempted a rescue, they would automatically go into the dungeons with the guards first, and only later, if they got the chance, explore the ones that had no one guarding them.

Naraku had taken this into account, and had placed some of the more important prisoners who were too weak to escape even without guards into prisons and left them unguarded. This particular one was supposed to hold the boy, Kohaku, that the half-breed had once used so much.

Now he was nothing more than a prisoner, a means of leverage should the slayer ever manage to acquire something he wanted. Amaya snorted slightly at the thought, and touched the keyhole with her finger, sending a small jolt of fiery red light that crackled like electricity into the lock and effectively opened the door for her.

She made a small scoffing sound at the demon-lords cheap attempts at security-- an apprentice sorcerer could have gotten through that!

She went down and stared at the figure kneeling in the cell, his head lowered in a bow, and his eyes devoid of any emotion. She could tell just the stiff way his body held itself that, not only was this creature no longer truly alive, but it had been in this position of eternal kneeling for a very long time.

She frowned and approached slowly. The boy did not move.

She used the charm again and opened the cell door, cautiously kneeling down next to him. Still he remained motionless.

Her hands ran slowly down his back, over the dark slayer uniform, until she could feel the aura of the jewel emanating at it's strongest. Her hand moved itself under his clothing and she used her nails to gently tear open the poorly healed flesh there, and then close around the jewel.

The boy tensed, and she knew that it was instinct to protect, not his own life, but the jewel from falling into another grasp that was driving him now, and he would attack her.

Tightening her grip on the shard, she twisted and yanked back, wrenching it from the boy's spine.

His body spasmed slightly, then fell to the ground, limp.

Amaya stared at him for a moment, then, tucking the jewel away in a small pouch in her kimono, she reached down and wrapped her arms around the boy's limp form, shuddering slightly as the feel of cold dread that surrounded only the dead enveloped her.

Pushing it aside, she wrapped the boy in her cloak, making him appear to be nothing more than a corpse being taken to feed Naraku's army.

She carried him up the stairs and outside into the large courtyard without much interference.

Naraku had sent most of the demon army off to try and overthrow the entire Neko clan that still thrived in the east. She had serious doubts he would succeed.

The cats were cunning and patient and brutal, not unlike Sesshomaru, and you would not even know that the rolls of the game "cat and mouse" had been reversed until they had their claws imbedded in your neck.

A few demons, however, still remained.

Amaya wrinkled her nose slightly in disgust as she passed a particularly large brown demon with large horns running down his incredibly large nose. There was some sort of smell-- like corpses and rotting garbage-- emanating from the beast, and it was enough to make her gag.

The demon looked over at her, and a low, but incredibly loud, rumbling growl came from him that shook the entire courtyard as he began to move toward her, eyes fixed on Kohaku, clearly mistaking him for food.

Amaya lashed out at the demon, a long black streak of a spell whipping through the air and lashing the demon firmly and violently on the cheek, causing a good deal of dark blood to flow to the ground and nearly severing one of his horns.

The demon shrieked in pain and rage as it reared away from her, doubling it's already incredibly height as it thrashed it's claws around. Amaya stood her ground and glared. She was _not_ going to be intimidated by some overgrown whelp of a demon who seemed to win his fights based on pure fear of size alone, judging by the way he reacted to the minor cut he had received.

'Keep your oversized teeth to yourself, baka youkai. This boy is not for eating.' She snarled at the demon, and he glared at her menacingly, saliva dripping from his lips and falling to the ground in drops large enough to effectively soak most of the courtyard and her as they exploded on the stone.

However, the demon seemed to decide it was best not to attack, and, after a moment more of glaring, turned and went back to whatever vulgar activity he had been engrossed in before.

Amaya shook her head, and then made her way swiftly out of the courtyard and off up into the cliffs where the two-headed youkai Ah-Un had agreed to wait for her.

She wasn't entirely sure how Sesshomaru had known she would want to meet today, but it didn't really matter anymore -- his promptness would serve only to aide her. Plus, it proved that she was working with at least one person of competence who might actually be useful before the end.

She set Kohaku on the beast before mounting behind it, using the reins more as a means of preventing Kohaku from tumbling to his...whatever.

'You know the way.' She said to the creature, gently prodding it's sides, and one head turned to look back at her, while the other was sniffing at the air, before both returned forward and, without warning, the creature took off into the air with such surprising agility that Amaya was momentarily thrown off guard and was forced to clutch to it's shoulders to stop from plummeting to her own "whatever".

Glaring at the creature's back, she pulled Kohaku's body more tightly against her, and pressed them both close against the youkai's back to allow it freer movement and less struggle against the winds currently whipping her flesh and stinging her skin.

Talking to the creature was useless since it obviously couldn't respond, and it probably wouldn't be able to hear her anyway, so she simply clung to it's back and angrily waited for the ride to be over.

END

**SPECIAL THANX TO - Almandine-Azaleea**, **Lost Soul 4 Rizzle**, **Black Betty**, **sourapple10000**, **xolovexinuyasha**, **MewMewFireHeart**, **lunerfox**, **Box Queen**, **Darking Queen** (pay attention, we have two royals in our presence!), **MustluvKits101** and **Sexy Kat **-- They are the completely amazing reviewers for the last chapter! ROCK ON YOU GUYS!

CMoC - Smells like Teen Spirit - Nervana, Bad Day - Daniel Powter, Scars - Papa Roach, and Fukai Mori (Deep Forest) again by Do as Infinity


	35. Waking The Dead

A\N: Not entirely satisfied with this chapter. I don't think I was very accurate with Sesshomaru's description, but then again I can't remember very much of any of his encounters with Kohaku before. I think I made him to internally emotional. Bleagh. Well, I'll have to work on that-- I know I can get a better version of him out there, I'll just have to work on it.

Anyway, I should get back to Inuyasha in the next chapter (hopefully) but I don't know when I'll get back to Kagome. She's not exactly vital in my plot at this moment. Inuyasha, on the other hand, is having more difficulties than I think I've made obvious, so I'll have to work on that as well next chapter.

Box Queen - Well, anytime is certainly better than no time. As some person whose name I can't remember said "If a person says they'll be there in no time, they're either already there, or they're not coming."

-Lost Soul 4 Rizzle - Well, actually, I don't really watch that many. I've always kinda been into anime shows I guess (though I sure as hell didn't know it until a little while ago) but not all of them. Pretty much the only anime shows I watch are Inuyasha and, occasionally, .Hack/Sign (or however you spell it). Sometimes I watch little bits of other shows, but I'm not a "regular" of them and don't really pay that much attention. I don't know why, but anime shows set in "reality" (or something like it) never really caught my interest or attention. Anyway, you're probably right, even though they call it a "Feudal Fairytale" in the end, how can Inuyasha be with Kagome? She can't stay in his time forever, and they've got to destroy to jewel eventually. Basically, the only option I can see that gives them any hope of the future is him turning human and going to her time (somehow) to live there, but, as I said before, that would be a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe that's why everybody is so eager to pair him up with other people. Plus, you know, Kagome sucks. -- Lol, yep, Amaya's trapped in a human body and feels pretty much the same way about it as Inuyasha does when he turns human.

-Black Betty - You know, some people say that "stubborn" is just a polite way of saying "hard-headed." I think they're just jealous!

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, have I started a fad with my CMoC? That's cool-- it's interesting to know what kinds of music other people listen to. However, I have no idea if I like Nirvana or Daniel Powter-- I just like those songs by them, and that's about all I've heard by them (I think). As I said before-- I don't listen to bands, I listen to songs. It's strange I know, but it's just the way things go with me. And don't worry, I'm not ready to kill Kohaku yet. He can only die and be brought back to life so many times before people begin calling him "Kikyo."

-lunerfox - I know exactly what you mean. I don't want to keep calling you guys "awesome" but I can't think of any better words to use. It just fits so perfectly!

-sourapple10000 - Okay, I'm glad you got the tumbling to the "whatever" cause I was skimming that chapter a little while ago, and I actually confused myself a little bit. Albeit, this was really late at night and my brain had already gone and shut down on me, but still... And thanks-- I'll be sure to go and check it out (Can't wait to see what happens)!

-xolovexinuyasha - Lol, like I told sourapple, I'm glad people got that part, because I actually momentarily confused myself with it. Anyway, I suppose I am unhuman in a way. -- What can I say, I'm just not that affected by movies and books like that. It's strange, since I've got pretty much no sense of reality left, so you think that'd make them affect me all the more, but nope, when I see stuff like that I just don't feel inclined to cry. As to music, I agree-- all the inu songs are awesome. My fav's are probably Fukai Mori (Deep Forest), I want to change the world, Grip! and Itzura na Kiss (Mischievous Kiss), but they're all pretty good.

-Darking Queen - Don't worry. I wouldn't so easily cut out one of my fav characters. I think that he's going to play a bigger role than most people first expected. And he might be playing it sooner than you think.

Sexy Kat - Well I ain't a doctor I'm an author so I'm not concerned with your health! Lol, glad you liked the chapter and the songs, and sorry about my little bastardization of Nirvana's name-- what can I say? I don't actually spell Nirvana that often in my day.

Waking the Dead

Sesshomaru stared down at the boy that Amaya had dropped at his feet.

This was the one she wanted revived..._this_?

His face was a mask of calm, cold indifference, as always, but inside he was seething. This was the boy who had gone after Rin, who was so covered with the stench of Naraku, he could have well passed for another of the demon's incarnations. And she wanted him to revive him.

He felt the air move as the sorceress shifted in impatience, and he curse ningen weakness, his own foolishness for being bribed for the price of an arm.

The ningen woman let out an irritated sigh, and Sesshomaru lifted his gaze to her, taking in the obvious annoyance and impatience in her eyes, smelling the irritation radiating off her in waves. Stupid baka human. How she had ever served as a servant of any kind to Naraku was beyond him-- she seemed to have no control whatsoever over her emotions.

'_Well_?' She snapped when he had stared at her a moment, silent, and he raised an eyebrow, knowing it would agitate the human to no end. She glared at his silent inquiry, and huffed in annoyance. 'Are you going to hold up your end of the bargain not?' She demanded, and Sesshomaru stared coldly, consideringly at her for a moment.

Really he should just kill the wench and leave them for the crows to feast upon, but, despite his absolute loathing of the boy before him, he was not without honour, and a bargain was a bargain, whether he liked holding up his end or not.

At his side, Tenseiga pulsed, the sword silently urging him to use it. His hand moved slowly, gripping the hilt and unsheathing the sword, which glowed blue and vibrated in a manner imperceptible to any who weren't touching it.

He pointed it at the boy, waiting as the sword began to reveal him the ugly demons of the underworld that crawled along the his body.

Swiftly, he raised the sword and slashed through the air, severing the demons and breaking their connections with the boy.

Tenseiga quivered happily as he slowly lowered it back to his side, and the hand that held it twitched ever so slightly in disgust at the sword's obvious delight at saving this boy's life.

He watched as Amaya knelt slowly next to Kohaku, lifting his head into her lap, and staring with sharp narrowed eyes down at his face, which was still surprisingly blank. His eyes were, however, shining with a faint and very dim light that no corpse could possess, and he knew that, even if the sorceress couldn't perceive it, Kohaku was alive.

So why did he still look so dead?

The colour was slowly returning the boy's cheeks, making him look incredibly pale, but alive nonetheless, and Amaya relaxed ever so slightly-- anything not youkai and not watching with as much intentness as Sesshomaru would not have been able to perceive it.

'Kohaku.' She said quietly, and the boy blinked slowly, his eyes clearing of the lingering fog of death as he slowly focused them on her face.

'Kohaku, do you remember anything?' She asked, and for a moment the boy did not answer. Then, slowly, he nodded, his eyes gaining a faint and very lost and broken look to them. Sesshomaru's lip almost curled in disgust at the sight, but he managed to reign the action, and instead stared on coolly a moment more, before turning to leave.

'Sesshomaru, I suggest you wait or Kohaku will never be able to catch up.' Amaya's voice reached his ears, and he stopped, taking a moment to let the ningen's words sink in.

'You are mistaken, ningen.' He said, not looking back at her. 'I have revived him, which is all I had agreed to do. We hold no further ties to one another.'

'That may be so.' Amaya said, and Sesshomaru heard clothing moving and dirt shifting, revealing to him that the woman was now standing. 'However, if you do not take him, then he shall have to remain in the forest. Alone. I cannot drag him around with me everywhere I go, and I haven't the time to deal with him at the moment anyway. You, on the other hand, already drag a human and two youkai wherever you go, he shall be no more trouble to you-- he is a good fighter and can defend himself, and he will be a good companion to your ningen. Surely she could use some company from her own kind.'

Sesshomaru stiffened imperceptibly at the woman's mention of Rin, wanting to cut the ningen's tongue out for daring to speak of the girl. Yet again he managed to keep his face, and slowly turned just enough to view her out of the corner of his eye.

'If he can defend himself as well as you say, then he has no need of my protection.' He said, turning away again, and Amaya glared.

'I suppose not, but if something should happen to him, and we cannot find the body for you to revive again, then I would hate to have had all this been for a waste. He is a vital part of this plan, and without him the whole thing may go to waste.'

Sesshomaru froze again, hating that he was allowing a ningen to manipulate him. Yet he knew that, for all her faults, she had a keen sense into the workings of Naraku's mind and castle, and any plan she could come up with would likely be the best one available.

Plus, she had a very valid point-- if the boy's body was dragged off, even _he_ could not revive them.

He began walking again, not looking back, but he heard the sorceress sigh, heard the humour in her voice as she whispered 'You shall have to run to keep up with him.' To the boy, and the moments silence, before unsure footsteps came rushing in human-swiftness to follow after him.

Not once did he bother to look back at the boy as they travelled, silently cursing his existence, while even after several minutes of silence and a good deal of distance put between them, he could hear the sorceress' laughter echoing about the hollow trees.

And again he cursed his weakness at allowing himself to be manipulated-- all for the price of an arm.

But in his heart he knew that there was so much more than his arm at stake here.

And he had just made a deal with an angel from hell, or a demon from heaven (he was still undecided exactly which she was), the fate of which the entire world may well rest in the hands of.

END

A\N: Hm, Hm, Hm, what exactly is my devious little mind planning now?

Seriously, can anybody tell me, cause it would be nice to get the jump on it every once in a while.

**SPECIAL THANX TO - Box Queen**, **Lost Soul 4 Rizzle**, **Black Betty**, **RamblingPhilosopher**, **lunerfox**, **sourapple10000**, **xolovexinuyasha**, **Darking Queen **and **Sexy Kat! **- You guys are really amazin, and deserve a good deal of credit for this story being continued at all! Give yourselves a big round of applause why don't ya?

CMoC - Itzura na Kiss (Mischievous Kiss) - Day After Tomorrow, Grip! - Every Little Thing, Superman (It's not Easy) ( --- AWESOME SONG! )- Five for Fighting, Help Me - Remy Zero, Right Here - Staind and Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls.


	36. You Always Hurt the One You Love

A\N: AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

I am NOT having a very good day.

I'm not going to go into any details that don't involve the story, but seriously, this has just not been one of my better days.

However, I have had a couple of problems that _do _involve the story, so I'll talk about them.

The first and most important one is: This chapter doesn't belong here.

This chapter (along with the one coming after it, which I'm not gonna put up till tomorrow cause I'm way too tired to do it now) was written a while ago, and was supposed to come just after "Mastering Minds". However, when I wrote it I was very hyped up and exhausted they way I get, so I wrote a couple more chapters that night (something I was really excited about but conveniently forgot when I went to sleep). The next morning only one chapter was there "Mastering Minds" and me, being the short-circuited fool that I am, figured I had hallucinated writing the other ones (since I couldn't remember what they were about anyway). Turns out one of my "Friends" took them (not saying why) and I only now just got them back. I am unsure whether or not I should just go back and place this over "Mastering Minds" and re-organize all the other chapters, but, since I don't feel like doing that now, I'm just putting it here.

It may still make sense, but it's not supposed to be here.

Needless to say I am _not _in a very good mood. 

Also, people have been leaving reviews on older chapters a lot later, and I have been missing them! I'm sorry to all you guys, but I rarely actually go back and re-read all the reviews again and try to find the new ones. Still, I don't want to seem ungrateful-- You guys are all great, I just don't have the energy to keep up with you...

Anyway, I thought I'd warn you guys ahead of time in case I seemed a little bit angry and straightforward in my responses. It's got absolutely nothing to do with you.

Black Betty - Yep, they're jealous. And I think that the reason Kohaku didn't start freaking out (in my mind anyway) is because a) he has already been not killed by Sesshomaru and b) he's so screwed up right now inside, dealing with all this stuff and not understanding, plus has lived for so long just taking orders... and you might be surprised how much people in depression and trauma quieten down, keeping most of their problems and worries inside as they begin the internal meltdown. Hopefully that won't be Kohaku's fate.

xolovexinuyasha - Yeah, I know that, but still, if you read it really quickly it can be a little confusing.

Also, I don't know about Staind, I've only heard a few of their songs. Sum41's probably my fav band, although, once again, I know absolutely nothing about them really, and like em for the music. That sounded like I'm insulting Staind, but I'm not. I can't think up another way to say it right now though, so... Anyway, I don't think I'm german. The last time I checked I wasn't, anyway. I was bred born and raised in Alberta, Canada and have never been outside this country. I've got some scottish and Irish in me though, and they're not normally known for anything other than their tempers when it comes to emotion, so maybe that would explain it... -- Hope your hand feels better soon!

-RamblingPhilosopher - I've heard some Dashboard Confessional. Not much, but some of their stuff is okay. Anyway, I don't know what Rin will think of this because I haven't thought much of her yet. I can't see that far into the future of this story!

-Wish-full Thinker - Thanks, I'll try to! And I am sooooooooooooooooooooo sorry I haven't been responding to all your other reviews-- I'm afraid I just didn't know they existed and only like just noticed them today. That, again, sounds kinda bad, but it's not supposed to. 

-Sexy Kat - Yeah, I love that song. Of course, when I first heard it I thought the lyrics went "when everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know that I am."-- Not that big a mistake, but still enough to draw attention to itself.

-sourapple10000 - Lol. Well, I just had to be sure-- sometimes people have people from the feudal era in the present time in their stories and they don't remember anything or stuff like that and it's really confusing.

-MewMewFireHeart - Hm, yes I can see your dilemma. Whatever happened to freedom of speech? Lol JJ.

Okay, well that's about all I can think to say right now. I think I'll go pound my head against the wall for a little while, so if you'll excuse me...

You always hurt the one you Love

Kikyo paused outside Inuyasha's door and frowned.

Even if she was ningen (at least in original form) she could still sense something wrong, something different in Inuyasha's room.

She cracked the door open and peered around, her eyes landing on the open window and she stared at it angrily. In truth, she had no reason to be suspicious of the window-- the cliff below it was too high for Inuyasha to escape down, and too sheer for another person to climb up, but she didn't like it nonetheless.

Inuyasha complained that it got too stuffy in his room with the window always closed, so she had agreed to let him open it at his will, but now he was shivering slightly in his sleep, the blankets all tangled around his feet.

She quietly moved into the room and went over to the window, latching it, then freezing with her hands on the ledge.

It was faint, but she was certain there was something... not quite demonic, but definitely evil there. She started at the spot on the sill where her hand rested, and then looked back out the window.

She knew she must be seeing, or rather, _feeling_ things, because the barrier she had resurected would not let anything evil through it, and yet... the long she felt it, the longer it seemed not so much evil but... lacking good, which was a muddy distinction even in her own mind.

Shaking her head, she pulled her hand away. '_My worry for Inuyasha is making me paranoid.' _She thought slightly bitterly as she glanced over at the hanyou, who still shivered slightly, his hands grasping at the matteress, claws digging slight gashes into it. She wondered if he was dreaming.

Reaching over she pulled the blankets up along Inuyasha's body, then, acting on pure impulse, slipped underneath of them as well, resting her head on Inuyasha's shoulder, and running her hand over his chest.

Inuyasha suddenly snapped to life, shooting up off the bed with a snarl, one clawed hand grabbing her wrist, the other poised, ready to attack, his fangs bared and his eyes tinged slightly with red.

They stared at each other in shock for a moment before it slid away into calm for Kikyo, and fearful confusion for Inuyasha.

'Kikyo.' He said quietly, staring at the Miko in confusion. What was she doing in here? More importantly, why was she in his bed?

'Hello koi.' She said, a small smile gracing her features. 'Did I wake you?'

Inuyasha stared at her uncertainly, his grip on her wrist loosening and then dropping completely as his hand slipped down to rest at his side. 'What are you doing here?' He asked, startled by her presence so close to his own.

'You should not answer a question with a question.' Kikyo chastised gently, added 'I came to see you.' Inuyasha blinked.

'But why?' He asked, completely lost in this conversation. She saw him everyday, did she really have to come to him so late at night... and be so close to him?

'Do I need a reason?' She asked. 'Now you answer my question. Did I wake you, Inuyasha?' The hanyou frowned, then nodded his head, and Kikyo frowned.

'I am sorry, koi. Here,' she said, as she gently applied pressure to the hand resting on his chest, forcing him to lie back on the bed. 'Try and fall asleep again.'

Inuyasha lay there uncomfortably for a moment, before promptly trying to get up again.

'No.' Kikyo said more firmly, as though talking to a misbehaving dog, applying more pressure to his chest. 'Sleep Inuyasha. I will watch over you.'

She didn't know that that was exactly the hanyou's fear.

Taking in a shuddering breath, Inuyasha closed his eyes, trying to ignore the feeling of her icy-dead hands running over him, trying to force back the memories that rose within him. His new mind unconsciously wondered how he ever could have fallen in love with such a possessive, seemingly domineering woman.

He had no answer, and so simply took in another shuddering breath, trying to calm himself enough to sleep, because he knew that was his only escape from the discomfort of this situation.

Kikyo frowned as she felt her hanyou's chest shudder again, and looked up at his face.

His eyes were closed, but his brow was furrowed, as though in concentration, and she could see his eyes moving wildly behind his eyelids.

She sighed, and placed her head back on his chest, feeling him tense as she did so.

Over the past week the hanyou had become more aware of his surroundings, yet, even though Kikyo had not hurt him, had done everything in her power to protect him, he seemed to get more scared and uncomfortable around her with every day that passed.

Sometimes she would look over at him and catch him looking at her, and though he quickly looked away, she saw the anger and hurt clear in his eyes. And it confused her.

Sometimes he simply stared off into space, emotions flickering in and out of his eyes too fast to see, not paying any attention to anything, but seemingly in deep thought. Those were the moments that Kikyo felt most like she had completely lost the old Inuyasha.

The Inuyasha she had known never sat still for so long, staring off into space and just thinking. He was a person of action, and would never have been content to be trapped in a room for days on end, his only contact to the outside world through her and the window. But this one had not complained once.

And it frightened her, because she felt she was loosing him for good.

She felt she was loosing him forever.

And it ached.

She tightened her grip in the hanyou's fire-rat haori, which she had given back to him after some very insistent whining and pleading-- which had shocked her to no end, because Inuyasha had never begged... at least not before.

'I'm not going to let you go, Inuyasha.' She murmured quietly to the sleeping boy under her. 'I promise I'll never let you leave me again.' Her own eyes drifted closed and slowly into sleep that her body no longer required.

And she did not see the tears of pain and fear that began to escape the hanyou's eyes and roll down his cheek.

Because in his heart, he believed her.

And in his heart, he didn't want that.

In his heart, he wanted... Kagome.

A\N: There you go Kagome lovers, you happy now? He doesn't want Kikyo! And why the hell he ever did is one of the world's biggest mysteries!

**SPECIAL THANKS TO - **All the reviewers mentioned above. Sorry guys, you are great and really deserve more than this from me, but I'm just too tired and pissed off to type out each individual name right now. Gomen! 

CMoC - Stay Young - Oasis, How soon is Now? - Love spit Love, What Happens Tomorrow - Duran Duran, I want to Change the World - V6, Still waiting - Sum41 ( -- Don't care how old it is, it's still a good song!), First Time - Finger Eleven, I'm 18 - Creed, When I'm gone - 3 doors down, Stop Crying your Heart out - Oasis and Superman (It's not Easy) - Five for Fighting.

What can I say, I'm in a music-listening mood.

It helps calm me down. o.o


	37. Time To Let it Go

A\N: Okay, I'm happy to say I'm in a better mood than yesterday. Sorry to everyone about that, but it's been a very long week. 

I know I was _thinking _about the song "Let it go" by Freddy(?) when I wrote this, so that could be considered theme music I guess, but it doesn't entirely fit in with this chapter.

Anyway, this chapter and the last chapter kind of screw up since they were supposed to be earlier, and would explain why Inuyasha didn't want Amaya to leave right away in the chapter "Grave Mistakes". We're gonna get more into detail about that in the next chapter, and I, once again, may surprise you with what my sadistic little mind can come up with for out poor inu.

Okay, to the Reviewers (Thanks-- you guys have been so tolerant of my little rants!):

-Wish-full Thinker - phew Well, I'm glad it still made some sense. -- Koi has many meanings (carp included) but the version I'm using is a shortened version of "koibito" (Or something similar to that) and it means "Love." Lol, no, I try not to bash my characters in my actual stories-- I leave that for the rants before and after. I agree with you completely, people go out of their way to make the characters they don't like go pyscho. I find it actually _hard _to do that, cause it drives me nuts if I _know _I'm going OOC. Anyway, thanks, I'll try not to push myself too hard!

-xolovexinuyasha - "Music is the universal language." -- I am a firm believe in that, and it does most certainly calm my savage beast.

-Box Queen - I am, yeah, thanks. The doctor's gave me a few anti-depressants and sedatives to go along with my other stuff, and I'm better now.

-dogdemoninuyashaandkagome - Thanx: )

-sourapple10000 - It wasn't confusion, necessarily, just wondering. It's all the other authors faults for putting characters from the past in the future and acting very OOC. -- I know... the 36th chapter... sheesh... o.o

-MustluvKits101 - Lol, yep. I may not like Kagome very much, but I definitely like her better than Kikyo.

-woflygirl13 - Yeah... sighs sometimes you need to have them though, or things can get really outta control. Still, stupid doctors... -- I hope I will continue to amaze you with my "skill" my "story" and my imagination too! It's fun to keep people on the edge!

-Lost Soul 4 Rizzle - You mean to say you don't find her creepy in the anime? She's a woman whose come back from the dead like three times already and who is still obsessed with her past lover who she continually tries to drag down to hell with her and promises to kill. Hm. Maybe you and I just have different definitions of "Creepy".

-ultimateromantic - Like I said to Lost soul 4 Rizzle, in my opinion she already is one scary bitch. I actually didn't find her to be that strange in this chapter-- she was just trying to express her feelings toward her past lover (who she's tried to kill a myriad of times) who continually pulls away from her and who she thinks can't even remember that much about her after suffered under torture for who knows how long. She was already obsessed before. I was just trying to figure out how she would react in this situation.

**DISCLAIMER - **You know the drill. Own the story and OC. Nothing else.

Time to Let it Go

'I'm not going to let you go, Inuyasha.' Kikyo's soft voice reached his ears, and Inuyasha forced himself not to tense, because the woman clearly thought he was asleep. 'I promise I'll never let you leave me again.' Inuyasha's mind whirled at her words as he felt her body go lax against him, and tears rose unbidden in his eyes as his confused mind muddled over her words.

She couldn't be serious... could she?

No... she couldn't be... he loved Kagome... not her, Kagome!

Inuyasha's mind spun as tears of agony cascaded in tiny rivers down his face, his mind and heart torn between what he had known, what he had lost and regained, and what he now had, what he wanted to have, he knew he couldn't stay with this woman.

She had meant something to him in the past.

But now, that's exactly what she was.

And he couldn't go back there, not when the future was finally starting to appear before him in a way that did not seem intent on hurting him.

He knew the quest for Kagome and everyone's freedom would be dangerous, that he would probably fail, but he wanted it back, he wanted it _all_ back, and that included the people he had unwillingly lost because of Naraku.

And even though Kikyo was one of those people, she was also one of the ones who had tried to take those people away from him. And he couldn't let her do that.

He wouldn't be able to live if he lost them all again.

But in order to gain them, he had to give up her.

And now, after all that he had been through, even though it caused the newly awakened older part of him a great deal of agony, he knew he was willing to do that. He was willing to, after all these years, finally let her go.

Because this was his life.

And he wouldn't let anyone-- not even Kikyo-- take it away from him. Not ever again.

And if it meant he had to hurt her to accomplish that, then so be it.

Because he is life, and she is death, and those to things cannot coincide together-- one would always smother the other.

And if it was Kikyo's plan to smother him, then he sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight.

Because he wanted to live.

And he would live.

Because everyone had a right to life...Even him...

And no one had the right to take it away. Especially not someone who had already died. Of this, he was sure.

Every so gently, Inuyasha pushed to body of the sleeping woman off of him and slipped from the bed, moving toward the window, silently wishing Amaya was here to help him.

He didn't call for her though.

If he did, Kikyo would waken, and then their plan would be ruined.

So he simply sat on the edge of the window, staring off into the night sky and waited for the woman he had once loved to wake up.

His mind was pounding with confusion, but his heart was clear and certain: He loved Kagome, he always had, and he always would, and that, if he did not get to her soon, his entire being might shatter from the mere force of the idea that he was not with her.

He would have to tell Amaya, get her to find a way to get him away from here, and soon, because he couldn't cope with the idea of not seeing Kagome for who knows how long.

Hardening his resolve, his eyes darkened to a deep shade of gold as he stared out at the moon, which was in it's last stage, signifying the end of the month. It occurred to him that he did not even know what day it was, let alone the month, and a low growl of anger slipped from his throat before he could stop it.

He glanced at Kikyo, but she did not even so much as shift, and he let out a small sigh of relief.

He was angry at that woman for keeping him locked away, for trying to make him forget and keep him entirely dependant on her, but for the moment he could do nothing.

Nothing but wait.

Because it _was_ time to let it go.

He leaned back and stared out at the sky, his eyes unconsciously drifting closed and, before he even realised that he was tired, he was soon fast asleep, having strange dreams of Kagome riding on a giant eagle-like bird, both of them surrounded by a strange purplish light as they pierced through what seemed to be an eternity of darkness... the only light for miles and miles around...

END

A\N: Don't really have anything else to say. I've got a couple of tests coming up this week so I really need to get to studying for them.

**SPECIAL THANKS T0 - Wish-full Thinker**, **xolovexinuyasha**, **Sexy Kat**, **Box Queen**, **dogdemoninuyashaandkagome**, **sourapple10000**, **MustluvKits101**, **wolfygirl13**, **Lost Soul 4 Rizzle **and **ultimateromantic** -- These are the great reviewers from the last chapter, and the reason that this one is up! If you like the story so far, you have them to thank!

CMoC - Grip! - Every Little Thing, Fade - Staind, Innocent - Good Charlotte, Jerk it out - The Caesars, Bad Day - Daniel Powter, Best of You - Foo Fighters, Obsession - See-Saw, Worn Me Down - Rachel Yamagata, Wake me up when September ends - Greenday and The Geeks get the Girls - American Hi-Fi


	38. Inuyasha's Plan

Wish-full Thinker - Yep, I'm very fascinated by people's different perspective on people's different perspective on life and death, and it give me my own perspectives that can be very strange and deep sometimes. Or just plain weird. --Wow. Thanks for all the "wows"!

-Box Queen - Lol, no, that's a joke. The only medication I actually ever take is Tylonel.

-Almandine-Azaleea - Yeah, well he's been through a lot, of course his perspective is gonna have changed!

-Black Betty - You were painting huh? Cool. I completely understand. I don't personally paint while I read, but I do love to draw. I'm a complete incompetent with paints though. 

-KaNaGi - Thanks!

-RamblingPhilosopher - You should be more worried about what Inuyasha is up to!

-sourapple10000 - Well, I understand his reasons for not doing that-- after all, Kikyo was the first and pretty much only person in his life who ever accepted him, not counting his mother. But then again, she did want him to turn human so she woulnd't have to guard the jewel, so...

-xolovexinuyasha - Actually, I don't like listening to music loud. I don't know why-- maybe I have sensitive ears. Lol, anyway, I found something that sort of made me want to cry, the song Sotsugyou Sayounara wa Ashita no Tame ni. I don't know why, it just got me really choked up half-way through (which is saying a lot considering I don't understand a word of it ). But the a minute later I wanted to start laughing hysterically, so maybe it had nothing to do with the song.

-Sexy Kat - Lol, lucky you. I get to have two classes off this week, but I have to take a test on Thursday. Lol.

-woflygirl13 - Well, Toutousai seems to think that they have to end up getting along, because there's no way in hell they can kill each other. Lets face it-- Tenseiga won't let Inuyasha kill Sesshomaru, and Sesshomaru just can't kill Inuyasha because Inuyasha's the hero of the story! But then, you weren't talking about the anime, you were talking about my own story. It doesn't really matter if I tell you or not (which I'm not going to) I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. This story is starting to tighten the noose around itself-- the ends creeping nearer and nearer every chapter. I imagine another 10 or 20 should do it.

Can't say much right now, don't got the time.

Talk to you guys later!

(Bet this chapters gives everyone a bit of a shock! )

Inuyasha's Plan

Amaya frowned as she listened to Inuyasha talk.

She had been very concerned at his strange behaviour when she had come for the pearl, and had rushed back as soon as she had delivered Kohaku to Sesshomaru. Now, listening to the boy talk, she wasn't entirely sure if her worry had been misplaced or not.

'So you are afraid of Kikyo getting to close to you?' She asked, the frown still in place on her lips.

Inuyasha shook his head, his eyes closed in frustration. 'I don't know. I just... I can't stay here any more. Is there anyway you can get me out of here?' He asked, opening his eyes again to use them to silently plead with her. She narrowed her own dark eyes at him, the frown deepening further.

'Inuyasha, it is not as simple as all that. Believe me, I would like to do everything within my power to relieve any fear you may be experiencing, but I cannot simply remove you from Kikyo's presence like that. It would jeopardize everything that we have worked so hard to achieve.' At his confused gaze, she continued. 'If you were to suddenly disappear from here, Kikyo would automatically assume that Naraku was doing something, had done something, and stolen you back from her. She would go to him and attempt to get you back. Such activities would alert Naraku to the fact that you are no longer in her possession, and that _someone_ else has gotten involved. He would tear apart all of Japan to try and figure out who and where and why they took you. I have no place safe enough for you to stay at the moment, so unless you can think of somewhere, I cannot even begin to consider attempts your release from here.'

Inuyasha stared ahead for a moment, then let out a low sigh, glancing toward the window for a moment where another of Kikyo's storms was pouring down soft flakes of snow when Inuyasha had expressed a strange delight in the soft white flakes. It had been hell for Amaya to fly through, even if it was only a light snowfall.

He turned back toward her, his brow furrowed in confusion again. 'Where did you take Kohaku then?' He asked. When she had arrived, she had fully explained to him about why exactly she had taken off with his brother's arm, and Inuyasha, though more than a little surprised, had agreed in the end that it was probably a good idea: Kohaku had been deep in Naraku's aide once, and would know things many others would not.

'I left him with your brother.' She said, and Inuyasha tensed. Had Amaya suddenly lost her senses?

'Sesshomaru will kill a ningen as soon as look at it.' Inuyasha said, voicing his thoughts unconsciously, and Amaya nodded. 'Indeed, he seemed reluctant to comply, but I can be a very persuasive person when I want to be. Why do you think Naraku keeps me?'

Inuyasha brushed this aside, the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind. He didn't like his brother-- didn't hate him with the obvious malice that Sesshomaru seemed to feel for him, but didn't like him. He had never really been given a choice in the matter: The only time he had ever really known his brother was when his father was still alive, and he had been too young to remember. Then he was suddenly wrenched away with his mother, and Sesshomaru faded away, only to return years later with hate written in his every move and the intent to kill clear upon his face. He had started the bloodfeud, and Inuyasha had been given no choice but to participate in it or die.

'Well, what if I went with Sesshomaru as well?' He asked, and Amaya blinked, certain she had heard wrong. 'I'm sorry?' She said, for lack of anything else coming to her mind. Inuyasha repeated himself, and this time Amaya found herself staring at him in stunned confusion as the hanyou quickly moved to elaborate. 'He's strong enough to protect against Naraku, you must realise that or you wouldn't have left Kohaku with him, and he's got castles and houses all throughout the western lands where I can hide until you can come get me that Naraku wouldn't dare to attack.'

Amaya lowered her eyebrows at him and narrowed her eyes. 'Why would you want to go with your brother?' She asked. 'You two obviously hate each other, even an outside could perceive that, yet you would rather endure his presence-- and rule, since that is what you will be under as long as you are in his domain-- than remain here. Why?'

Inuyasha's seemed to become slightly sad suddenly, and his ears twitched every so slightly as he stared at her. 'Because I cannot stay here any longer.' He said steadily, in a tone that clearly said that, if she left him, he would attempt to escape on his own, even as his eyes silently pleaded with her to help him, because he clearly understood that there was no chance in all the seven hells he would make it out alive (or at least with his mind) with Kikyo here.

Amaya sighed and looked toward the snow covered windows, then back at the pleading hanyou before her.

'_Cursed weakness, I cannot let these fools continue affecting me like this!'_ Her mind snarled, even as she felt herself give in. She sighed and cursed violently in her head, before turning toward Inuyasha again.

'Alright, let's see what I can't do.' She said, silently cursing at the warmth that filled her at the sight of the hanyou's face lighting up in one of his rare smiles.

'But I shall have to see if I can't break or at least rip this barrier first.' She said, getting up and moving toward the window, cursing the snow as it poured in sheets that evaporated before they even touched the ground outside.

'Stay here, and do not do anything out of the ordinary if Kikyo returns.' She said firmly, one foot on the ledge, her body bent to fit through the thing (she swore it was getting shorter) before she transformed and sword off toward the barrier, Inuyasha rushing to the window to watch as his only chance at freedom, his only hope of ever seeing _anyone_ again, soared off into the snowy night.

He glanced up at the moon, which was nearing the end of it's last stage, which his mind was telling him was very important for him to take note of, and then back toward where the bird had disappeared.

'_Please hurry, Amaya.' _He thought as he tensed as he heard and smelled one of Kikyo's soul collectors soar by outside the door. '_Please hurry.' _

END

**SPECIAL THANX GO TO: Wish-full Thinker**, **Box Queen**, **Almandine-Azaleea**, **Black Betty**, **KaNaGi**, **RamblingPhilosopher**, **sourapple10000**, **xolovexinuyasha**, **Sexy Kat **and **wolfygirl13 **-- These are the AWESOME reviewers from last chapter, and deserve a good deal of credit for this chapter being posted!

Sotsugyou Sayounara wa Ashita no Tame ni (Graduation: Farewell is for Tomorrow) - Tackey and Tsubasa ( -- Completely beautiful song, even if I don't know the words! ), Grip! - Every Little thing (What can I say, I love this song, but I keep getting it mixed up with Izazurana kiss ), Best of You - Foo Fighters, Here without You - 3 doors down, It's my Life - No Doubt, Lonely no More - Rob Thomas, Because of You - Kelly Clarkson(Sp?), Tubthumping - Chumbawamba(sp?), Smells like Teen Spirit - Nirvana, Bend and not Break - Dashboard Confessional, You're so True - Joseph Arthur, Hero - Nickelback, and Holding out for a Hero - Bonnie Tyler.

Someone just dropped this paint tin thing and it scared the shit out of me a few minutes ago, so, once again, I am suddenly very stressed out (though not angry) and am in a music listening mood. What can I say-- I LOVE music! Doesn't matter what language it's it.


	39. Breaking The Barrier

A\N: Lol, I hope everyone finds this chapter at least slightly up to standards. I have no idea-- I was half-dead when I wrote it.

Oh yeah, and for anyone who likes AMV's, I found a kind of interesting one (I like it anyway) with Inuyasha at this link (http/video. so you can check it out there if you want.

To everyone else-- sorry, it's taken me a long time to update, I know. I'm afraid you'll probably have to get used to it though-- I've been neglecting some of my other stories and my other reviewers are really anxious for me to get the next chapters up. Since I don't have the energy to work on both (and since I've been giving this one so much time lately) I'm afraid I have to switch over to that one for a little while. Gomen, but that's the way it has to be.

-Wish-full Thinker - Lol, I _try_ not to make Sess out of character cause it annoys the hell out of me in other people's stories, but I can never tell if I succeed. For every genre of F-fiction I write there's always one character who it drives me _insane _when people get him wrong. For Inuyasha it's Sesshomaru (don't ask me why, cause he's not exactly my favourite character although I do like him a lot). Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh yeah. I'll try and keep him in character, but I have no idea in all of hell if I'll succeed. My deepest apologies if I don't. Anyway, to the rest of your review: Naw, it's never too late! Lol, I'm glad you enjoy her so much. I'm not entirely sure where she came from, but one of my friends suggested (and I'm sure I've said this before) that she's some sort of messed up cross between Tsubaki(?) and Kagura. I'm not sure how or when she decided to get herself so involved in the story, since I had never planned on having her in it, but she did and got quite comfortable in fact, and it's a little late to get rid of her now, so she'll probably be around for a few chapters more at least. -- Actually, it _may_ be something closer to 30(o.o) but I don't know. Yeah, I'll definitely continue writing fiction, but I don't know when I'll take on another fic of this sort. I prefer to write challenge fics actually, but only really unique ones and I don't always take them up. Right now I'm backlogged since I've got four stories with multiple chapters (though one is only one chapter away from finishing and another hasn't really been posted yet but was requested by someone a while ago so I need to work on that) and I need to work on all of them while trying not to neglect any of the others. It's a little difficult. looks over reply Hm. Well, this has turned into one big long rant. And just when I was getting so good with avoiding that too...

-sourapple10000 - Yeah, I know, movies and stories can be fairly predictable. In fact, I'm not sure why anybody bother's with them. We should just do away with them for good! Lol, nooooooooo, don't listen to me! I didn't mean it! -- I really like movies and stories. Lol, but you're right-- they are predictable. Cause, as soon as you know who the hero is (the main one anyway) you also know that he can't die. At least not for a very long time. That's why I like to write stories that leave possibilities like that open. Even though I seriously doubt I'll be killing Inuyasha for a while yet (if ever) but I could always go off and kill, I don't know, Sesshomaru or Amaya just to see how everyone else would react, and nobody could tell me to do otherwise.

-xolovexinuyasha - Hm. He'll be killed for sure? That's making this scenario into even a bigger challenge than I first anticipated... I love it! We'll just have to see what I can do with this now won't we? -- And it wasn't that surprising?... darn... Guess I'll just have to work harder to impress or surprise you next time now won't I? It's no fun when everything's predictable and the readers are allowed to relax back from the edge of their seats.

-Black Betty - Lol, I have to assume whatever "Thing" I was talking about was the barrier that Kikyo has set up around her little temple to keep Naraku out and Inuyasha in. Like St. Hakushien's(sp?) barrier only different.

-wolfgirl13 - aww, I don't want to kill you! Can you go to jail for something like that? "Killing someone with suspense". Hm. I wonder what the maximum sentence would be.

-Almandine-Azaleea - Lol, I'm glad you like them!

-ashliehn -

-Box Queen - oh no! Oh, yeesh, I probably was really starting to worry you there, huh? Crazy psycho-hyper author hopped up on anti-depressants. 

-Sexy Kat - Lol, well we'll see who kicks whose ass soon enough, won't we? But remember-- Inuyasha's still not in _any_ kind of condition to fight Naraku. He's got control of his mind, but how long do you think it's been since he's been in a battle?

-RamblingPhilosopher - Aw, I'm sorry-- all you have to do is ask and I might just answer (unless it gives away the plot or I don't know the answer). I'm sorry to hear you had a bad day-- I know exactly what you mean about all those things wearing down on your nerves. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an entire patient person, and I have had my nerves worn down on so many times, I've only got one frazzled nerve left to wear on. Anyway, I think the point of that was that I know how you feel. And I'm glad I could add a small silver lining to your cloud! -- "I'm optimistic, I just don't want to get my hopes up."

-ultimateromantic - Well You're going to have to take a bit more at least. Either that, or stop reading. -- (No, no, please don't!)

Breaking the Barrier

Amaya glared at the barrier as she sent another tendril of dark magic toward it.

It was a simple spell that would disguise someone in demonic aura, and so far the barrier was stubbornly resisting it with all it's heart. She sighed. It was clearly a very spiritually strong person who had erected this.

Which would mean that it would take a powerful burst of magic to even tear through it for a very short amount of time.

Mentally growling in frustration at the damn thing's stubbornness, she opened her mouth and shot a beam of blue light into the air, visible only to the eyes of a youkai.

After a moment of it hovering there, it faded away, and she waited on her perch just outside the blizzard filled barrier, until the sound of thunder reached her ears and two orange streaks came soaring through the air toward her.

The two fire youkai-- the stallion and a different, younger male she hadn't encountered before-- landed on the rocky outcrop of a cliff nearby her perch and turned their fiery eyes toward her.

'_I need you to wait here for me, and be ready to move as soon as I tell you.' _She mentally told the beasts. The Stallion gave a slight shake of his fire-mane, and she took that as a yes, before turning back toward the barrier.

She knew that she would never be able to make it to Inuyasha and back in the short amount of time her rip in the barrier would allow. She would have to retrieve him with some kind of magic-- it should be simple enough, considering spells of retrieval were one of the simplest to perform. However, she was worried that, once she burst the barrier, she would be too drained to perform it.

Gripping the branch tightly with her talons, she quickly began concentrating, focusing all her energy, all her power on the barrier, ignoring the strange looks she received from the two youkai in response as she blocked out the entire world, her eyes seeing nothing but the shimmering blue wall before her.

She opened her mouth again with a violent shriek as more light shot from her mouth, hitting and crackling violently against the shield, causing the horse youkai to shriek in surprise.

A dark wind began to swirl, and the branch cracked threateningly under her, but slowly her spell was breaking through the shield.

When she felt the hole was large enough, she snapped her beak shut, but realised she was too drained to retrieve the hanyou. So she spoke to the youkai instead. '_Quickly, whichever of you is swiftest, go and retrieve the silver-haired hanyou and return before the barrier is closed!' _She shouted in her mind.

The stallion immediately burst into action, jumping up and through the frayed hole in the spirit shield as it's edged crackled angrily around him.

She watched him speed toward the temple now visible properly through the shield, even as it's edges began to weave together and repair themselves.

She started as blue began to creep down at an alarming rate and she realised that it was closing itself much faster than she had anticipated. If the stallion did not find Inuyasha _now_, he would not make it back in time before the shield closed.

'_You underestimate the speed of the horse-youkai!' _A voice thundered in her head, and she was puzzled a moment, not entirely sure who it was.

A blaze of light shot past them suddenly, and Amaya was momentarily stunned as she looked around to find Inuyasha clinging desperately to the back of the horse youkai even as the barrier closed gently behind her with a loud "_snick"._

She frowned at the stallion in confusion. '_You talk?' _She asked, and he shook his mane.

'_Only through our minds. We had yet to meet a ningen who could do the same, and never bothered attempting with you.' _He said, and she stared in amazement for a moment, before collecting herself, flying over and landing on the cliff, transforming as the visibly shaken hanyou dismounted from the stallions back.

'That' he announced loudly 'was the worst thing I have ever ridden, and I will never fucking do _that _again! He's worse that Toutousai's damn cow!' The stallion snorted angrily, and Amaya raised an eyebrow.

'Well you'll have to get used to it, Inuyasha. He has just gifted you your freedom, you should be thanking him, not complaining. And you have no real choice in the matter: you either ride one of the youkai, or we leave you here to die on the cliff. Make your decision with haste, we do not have all night!'

Inuyasha stared at her dumbfounded, and glared at the two youkai, the younger of which eyed him, half angrily, half mischievously, and Amaya did not really want to know what was going through the creature's mind.

'Come, Inuyasha, and mount. We have a fair distanced journey ahead of us and no time to loose. If you want to go to your brother, we have only a short time to depart before Kikyo realises you are missing and she sets Naraku on a manhunt.' That said, she swiftly mounted the back of the stallion, and waited while Inuyasha, grumbling angrily, did the same with the younger of the two youkai.

It grunted and snorted angrily, taking a snap at his foot, though the stallion quickly stayed it by biting it's flank roughly. The two stared each other down a moment, before the younger youkai looked away, flattening his ears submissively.

'All done your little argument?' She asked the two youkai and the oblivious and indignant Inuyasha. When three sets of eyes turned toward her, she smiled and nodded. 'Good. Then let us be on our way--'

'_And where exactly may our way be?' _The stallion's voice rang in her mind. She paused. '_I do not know **exactly** I have only a name and a general are. We are trying to find a demon by the name of Sesshomaru-- he is an inuyoukai, like Inuyasha--' _

'_I thought he was a hanyou.' _

'_He is! Now pay attention. He is an inuyoukai like Inuyasha, and their scents are similar I imagine because they are brothers. This youkai rules over the western lands, but I do not know his exact location, however, I am hoping you may be able to find him by scent alone.' _

The horse snorted. '_Scent is not our strongest point, but I shall try.' _He said, before moving toward Inuyasha and taking a might sniff. The hanyou pulled away, glaring at the youkai angrily. 'What the hell is he doing?' He demanded, and Amaya glared.

'He is trying to pick up your scent so that he may use it as a comparison to help locate your brother. Now either hold your tongue and cooperate or at least use it to show some respect, because I do not want to have to gag you for this trip!' She said, and Inuyasha growled lowly, but remained silent, fuming as the horse continued to sniff him, but not pulling away.

After a moment, the youkai moved away.

'Ready?' She asked, and he shook his mane again. 'Good.' She said 'then lets go--' the rest of her sentence was cut off as the youkai suddenly swept into the air, causing both hanyou and ningen to cling to their necks to avoid falling to the cliffs below as the two youkai sped toward the western lands, tasting the air for the scent of the one called Sesshomaru.

END

Glossary 

Gomen - (This is in my "little" rant, not the story) sorry

Youkai - Demon

Hanyou - Half-demon

Ningen - Human

Toutousai - The swordsmith who forged both Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga.

Inuyoukai - Dog-Demon

**SPECIAL THANKS TO THE OH-SO-PATIENT-REVIEWERS OF LAST CHAPTER: Wish-full Thinker**, **sourapple10000**, **xolovexinuyasha**, **Black Betty**, **wolfygirl13**, **Almandine-Azaleea**, **ashliehn**, **Box Queen**, **Sexy Kat**, **RamblingPhilosopher **(Hope today was a better day ), and **ultimateromantic**

As well as Everyone who read and reviewed "Farwell, My Beloved Sango" -- It's a little late for this (and I'm not entirely sure how many people who read that are reading this) but I figured I'd better put this up anyway!

CMoC - **Lies** (aka - Inuyasha's unofficial theme song ) - Evanescence, **Here without you **- 3 doors down, **Broken** - Seether, **Ugly** - The Exies, **Breathing** - Yellowcard, **Angels with Dirty Faces **- Sum41, **Brand New World **- V6 and **Crazy** - Simple Plan


	40. What the World's Coming To

A\N: Okay, everyone remember how I said I'd be neglecting this story?

I lied.

Not on purprose, but the day after I posted the last chapter was the same day I went to post a chapter to one of my other ongoing stories and the site has temporarily taken away that ability from me. I may not be getting it back until March 1st, which means that this story will likely be getting a lot of attention up until then. Maybe.

-lunerfox - Oh that's fine! Just as long as you're reading it still and enjoying it!

--Wish-full Thinker - Woah, wait, you mean that you _can_ just kill characters off randomly? Damn. Wish I'd known about that earlier. Lol, just kidding, I know exactly where you're coming from. I think my biggest problem right now is editing. I don't have access to a computer all the time, so I usually have to write my stories out by hand and then type them out and by then... well, you can only read your own story so many times before you want to rip your own eyes out. Lol, and I don't like using beta's either-- it drives me nuts to have someone reading my story just to tell me what's wrong with it. It just doesn't suite my style. 

-Box Queen - Lol, don't worry, I'm no more insane than the next person. Well, maybe a little more, but nothing to worry about. JJ

-Almandine-Azaleea - Yep, nothing like a little Sess-Inu confrontation (or the promise of it) to make the plot thicken right up! But I think I may surprise you all yet...

-RamblingPhilosopher - Well, I don't know much about the stuff you're talking about, but I'm glad you're having a better day! -- I haven't heard any of the song you listed I'm afraid, but I have heard a few by Coldplay. Not a lot-- I still remain undecided if I like their music. I like their songs sometimes, and his voice is good for some of the one's he sings, but sometimes I just can't stand the sound of it. I don't know, I'm weird that way.

-Sexy Kat - Oh you do do you? Lol, well what if I just let somebody else kick Naraku's ass? Like Kagome, or Miroku or claypot herself? Or maybe he'll be the one doing the ass-kicking? -- a little warning to you: Never say you know what I'm going to do, because it makes me feel inclined to do something else.

-MewMewFireHeart - I'm glad you enjoy my rants, and it's a shame you can't participate-- that would be interesting to be sure. Anyway, I know exactly what you mean, which is why I'm a little nervous with the direction I've taken this plot. It almost makes me wish I'd done someone like Kouga instead of Sesshomaru, because I could handle getting him a little OOC. Actually, I could probably keep Kouga fairly In character if it was him in the situation, but with Sesshomaru... well, it's a lot more difficult, because I really _care_ a whole bunch whether or not he's in character. It bugs me actually. Sometimes I'm tempted to make him OOC just to defy myself! Anyway, the point is I'm hoping I can keep him as in character as possible, but I think that, before the end, everybody in this story is gonna be a little OOC. Which I suppose makes sense considering what they're going through and what they've been through. -- Okay, I actually don't care much for horror stories, and nobody likes to watch them with me either, because whenever I'm watching one I'll be like "you have got to be kidding me!" or "What is this guy-- superman? No _regular _guy could do that and live to talk about it!" And people can get really annoyed at me. Luckily enough I don't like horror flicks because of that and my whole family suffers from the same sort of sceptibility. The only way to make a horror flick realistic is to have it end on a bad note somehow, and the only bad note anybody's managed to come up with so far is "everybody on the good side dies". Yeah. That's not realistic at all. Life is just far more compliacted than that and it's just completely unbelievable. The last movie I saw that had a plot that both ended on good and bad notes that were believable was "Lord of the Rings" and that doesn't really count because it's set in a world that doesn't exist and it's not supposed to be a horror story! -- Lol, well I hope your happy, you got me started on some of these topics and now look at this mess of a rant I've created? I bet it's almost as long as the whole chapter... -- BTW -- I'm glad I'm keep you in suspense, and GOOD! Don't _ever _stop reading! At least, not until the story is done anyways.

-wolfygirl13 - Don't worry, this story's neglect will have to wait until the end of the month I think. Then I really seriously have to update my other stories, because I'm not used to waiting a full month at a time to update, and neither are my reviewers. -- Also, I don't think the encounter you were looking for between Sess and Amaya is going to happen the way you pictured it anyway. I don't know if anybody's gonna like the way I'm playing this out, but it has to be done otherwise my story's not gonna be able to be continued or finished anytime within this century. oo

-sourapple10000 - Lol, yeah I thought people might like that.

-xolovexinuyasha - Lol, yeah they're okay I guess. I wasn't dwelling really, I was just warning you guys that I needed to break away from this story for a bit (like maybe two weeks gasp ) Lol, yeah I can understand what you're saying, but really, where else is he gonna go? Everybody else he knows is prisoner really and he's got only Sess left to go to. Hopefully I can make that work without ruining the image of Sess for everyone. o.o -- And don't worry, Amaya didn't know the horses could talk either!

Well, that's about it for now-- Hope everyone enjoyed the loooooooooooooooooong rant, and that they all enjoy the next chapter. Please let me know if I ruined Sess or not!

What the World's Coming to

To say Sesshomaru was angry would be an understatement.

He was so far beyond angry that angry was nothing more than a spec in the distance barely visible to even the most perceiving eyes.

But still he kept it masked. He had worked hard for his mask and reputation of cold indifference, and he was not about to loose it now.

But still, the audacity of that _ningen_ witch, shoving that boy at him first, and then _this_, his own well hated brother? It was beyond infuriating and ridiculous, and he had barely suppressed the urge to chop the damn ningen's head off where she stood.

He was still getting over the general shock that he had agreed to let his brother stay in the first place.

Technically, Inuyasha had a right to be in these lands, in this castle that had once belonged to the great Inu no Taisho, their father. The great dog demon had left Inuyasha a small amount of land (though he doubted the half-breed was aware of it) as well as rights to exist and share this castle with his brother should he choose to do so. However, he was still the stronger of the two, the only one who had bothered to take care of any of the lands or the castle, and the only one who should have any rights to the places at all.

He really should just kill Inuyasha right now, while the hanyou was so well within his reach.

But even this enraged Sesshomaru would not stoop to those levels. He had not sunk that low yet.

"_I am not running an orphanage, witch, you cannot simply cast-off all your unwanted wretches here and expect me to take care of them." _His own voice rang in his head, and Sesshomaru paused in his walked as the scene played out before him again in a mixture of voices calling back to one another and the strange scent of burning from the two fire-horse youkai.

"_You know as well as I, Sesshomaru, that this goes beyond what is **wanted** and is falling into the category of what is **needed**. If Inuyasha had remained with the Miko, she would have pried too deeply into his mind and corrupted him again, and he would have been lost even to my reach. And we cannot allow that. We need him. You know as well as I that your brother has extrodinary power, even without his sword. He may well be the only one who can defeat Naraku. He simply needs to learn to focus and control it, and to have a safe place to do that until the time comes to reveal himself. The least you can do, as a brother, is offer him that." _

Perhaps it had been her words, or maybe his own guilt to fulfill his father's wish at having both his sons coming and living in this castle, ruling over these lands, that had persuaded him. Either way, it didn't change the fact that he now had a half-breed--his own brother no less and hated rival-- here in his castle, the risk of drawing the rage of an overly power-hungry hanyou and an obsessed miko down upon him looming over his head, and a nearly silent and terrified ningen, who had once tried to kill Rin, and who was now being constantly pestered and talked to and entertained by said girl in his home.

He shook his head-- what was the world coming to?

He turned and decided to seek out his brother-- there were many things he was curious about, many mysteries that were currently hanging around his brother, ones he had yet to learn the answers to.

And if there was one thing this Sesshomaru hated, it was a mystery.

END

**SPECIAL THANKS TO AND POCKY AND COOKIES FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: lunerfox**, **Wish-full Thinker**, **Box Queen**, **Almandine-Azaleea**, **RamblingPhilosopher**, **Sexy Kat**, **MewMewFireHeart**, **wolfygirl13**, **sourapple10000**, and **xolovexinuyasha **-- The amazing readers that have been reviewing the chapters and putting with (or even responding to sometimes o.o) my rants at the beginning and ends of chapters!

CMoC - Amsterdam - Coldplay, Obsession - See-Saw, Fallen - Sarah McLachlan(sp?), Lies - Evanesence ( -- This song really does suit Inuyasha when you learn to words, neh?), Fukai Mori (Deep Forest) - Do As Infinity, and Bad Day - Daniel Powter


	41. Never Wanted To Fight

A\N: Bleagh.

Sorry everyone if I've taken a little while to update. My computers been a total ass lately, and I've been running around like the maniac I am and just haven't had enough energy lately. --

-Box Queen - Oh, I disagree completely. According to medical research there is no such thing as "hyper." So, if being hyper means to be insane, and Hyper doesn't exist, then does that mean that insanity doesn't exist either? -- Lol, there's no way in hell that's possible-- Look at me! (BTW -- I have no idea if that research is accurate)

-wolfygirl13 - Oh sure, I'd love to see that pic. It's funny, cause on my other fic someone suggested a pic to fit a scene from there as well. -- Coincidence? -- I have no idea, but, as the saying goes, "If it's not coincidence, it's a conspiracy." And I don't believe in coincidence. -- The horses? I don't know, I never pictured them having human forms, so I guess not, but then again, maybe so... you've definitely given me something else to ponder. -- And thanks for the cookies and pocky!

-xolovexinuyasha - Well that's the way it's always seemed to me. He couldn't stand not to know what was going on when Inuyasha first turned full demon and there have been other incidents. Certainly he doesn't just go around questioning people like Inuyasha might, but, in his own more subtle way, it always seemed that he was trying to figure out things that didn't always really involve or effect him.

-Darking Queen - Lol, that "punishment" isn't on you guys. It's for a completely different on-going fic on a completely different website. I can't update there, which means that I'll probably be giving this fic more attention. Unless of course my regular bought of writers-block sets in again. Which it just might. -- Anyway, I hope you feel better now, cold's really can suck sometimes. -- And yeah, Sess is perfect... but what do you think about him in the story?

-sourapple10000 - Yeah-- I'm never quite sure how to portray Rin. She seems both very childish and very mature at the same time, and, while I like her character (one of only three females on the show I actually like), it's sometimes hard to get her down on paper properly. In this case I think I opted a bit more for the childish side of her...

Wish-full Thinker - Well, I plan on giving it attention. I'm not sure how much (at least this week) since I've got only until Friday to finish reading this two-hundred page book and write a report on it.

-MewMewFireHeart - In all honesty you probably shouldn't help me with my ranting (I hardly need it, neh?) It's not that I don't enjoy your help, but, as I have clearly shown you before, once I get started it's hard to stop and then I usually end up writing more rant then chapter! I got a complaint about that the other day on my other story... it was a little bit sad, actually, that the person had such big problems _scrolling_ for hell's sake. How lazy are we getting if we can't scroll down to the middle of a page? -- Lol, I'll be sure to check that out (not right now cause I don't have the time, but soon) And I have no idea about how age effects horror-movies. In all honesty, I couldn't really watch anything gruesome until I was around 14 (the lord of the rings was sort of a breaking in point for me since, for some reason, I absolutely hate listening to people being tortured... so I forced myself to watch that scene with Gollum during the beginning of TFoTR and it helped... now I'm even more deranged then before! ) but now I'm good. It was actually a big help since my father was always watching Law & Order and CSI (which has those crime scenes) and I watched Forensic Files. Anyway, waaaaaaaay offtopic, the point is, it took me a long time to actually get through that (most because I'd never been exposed to it really) but now I'm just sitting there wondering when the hell the next break in the move will be so I can go and get something to eat while the guy in front of me is be decapitated. Lol, okay, so maybe not that bad, but still...

-Black Betty - Yay!

-RamblingPhilosopher - Hey, don't let that depress you! It's good to be a freak! It's the normal one's you have to look out for... You can never tell which of them are real and which are just robot clones. Or barbie dolls. Lol, trust me it's fine. Well, at least here it is anyway. In the real world it might not seem acceptable, but since when has anyone ever liked the real world anyway? -- I've, once again, never heard those songs you've got listed there, but I like the title of that one by fallout boy "Our lawyer made us change the name... etc" that's fun! -- Lol, and you're right, Sess can carry out things like that a little bit. Sometimes they give him lines where I just want to groan and go "Oh come _on _people, this is _Sesshomaru_! Do you really think he'd say something as stupid as _that_!" But still, you gotta love him!

-Almandine-Azaleea - shudders Oh, believe me, you really don't want me to show you what I got. You never want me to release the "demon" inside me like that, cause if you challenge me to "do my worst" then chances are the universe is gonna explode. Lol, okay, so maybe it won't be THAT bad, but still... it'll be bad!

-Sexy Kat - Lol, thanks, I'll definitely try to!

-Emily - Don't worry, I will!

Never Wanted to Fight

Sesshomaru was slightly surprised when the scent of his half-brother led him, not to the rooms he had left for the boy to inhabit while he stayed here, but down toward the dojo (which was actually a building in itself that stood a few meters away from the main building).

He narrowed his eyes slightly as he stood silently watching Inuyasha swing the fang Tetsusaiga around. The boy's moves were undeniably uncertain as he regained the feel of his sword, but he was quickly gaining confidence with each swing he took at the fake training partners and invisible enemies he conjured around him.

The boy had an incredibly artless way of fighting, yet never failed to maintain grace in his moves-- something Sesshomaru had failed to notice before. The fact that he had not smelled or heard his presence yet, was enough to show just how engrossed Inuyasha was in his training.

Drawing his own sword, Tokijin, in a manner that made the blade scrape against the sheath particularly loudly, he stepped toward Inuyasha, who had swung around at the sound, ears flat against his skull, and Tetsusaiga pointed at him, even though a good few feet separated them still.

Inuyasha's sword lowered slightly as he realised it was Sesshomaru, but he eyed his brother warily. He was never sure what to expect from the taiyoukai-- one minute he would try to slice his head off, the next he may well just show up by accident with no real intentions of fighting. Sesshomaru was something he didn't understand, and couldn't let down his guard enough to trust for even a moment. Just because his brother had agreed to let him stay in his home did not mean that he would refrain from trying to kill him.

'Raise your sword, Inuyasha, unless you plan to fight me with your hands again.' Sesshomaru said in his cool tone, Tokijin's demonic aura pulsating noticeably as it yearned to fight with him.

Inuyasha eyed him nervously but did not raise Tetsusaiga. He was nowhere near ready for a fight, especially not with someone as powerful as Sesshomaru, and he did not want to fight the demon lord anyway. Somehow, loosing his memory and regaining it made all the feelings of hate and anger and all the grudges and longing for everyone other than Kagome, Sango, Miroku and the others seem obsolete: He only wanted to make things right again.

'No.' He said, though it was weak, and sounded came out more like a question than a statement. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, and Inuyasha, swallowing his pride, shook his head and spoke again, pleased when his voice came out stronger, with more self-assurance, but still sounding strangely quiet. 'I don't want to fight you Sesshomaru, I... I never wanted to fight you.'

'Your actions state otherwise, little brother. Or do you always swing your sword around like an incompetent fool at those you do not wish to fight.'

'Well you force me to!' Inuyasha said, his voice shooting up to near-shouting-- the loudest tone he had used in a long, long time, and Sesshomaru was slightly surprised by the outburst. And Inuyasha felt like he should stop, all his senses screaming at him that, no, this was not a smart thing to do, but he had started it now, and he could no sooner stop the words that suddenly started to flow from his mouth than he could stop the blood from spilling through his veins.

'You started this blood feud, not me!' Inuyasha said angrily. 'You think I wanted to be constantly fighting with you for my life over a damn sword?' He demanded of the slightly stunned Sesshomaru. 'I didn't even know about Tetsusaiga's existance until you mentioned it, and I sure as hell had no interest in it until it was the only standing between me and you and your fangs and certain death!' The hanyou said heatedly, the anger slowly evening out as it pulsed through him, no longer as hot or as focused in one place, but pulsing through his entire body, and he forced himself to take deep breaths and calm down.

Sesshomaru stared at his brother coolly, letting his words sink in. This was a side of Inuyasha he had never seen-- this strangely remorsefully angry and strangely upset side that was filled with a strange kind of wisdom and truth that Sesshomaru hadn't thought his brother could possess. It was strange, and he wasn't entirely sure he liked it. But still, it rose a small twinge of something inside Sesshomaru that he had not felt since he was very young. Guilt.

'Inuyasha' he said slowly, then paused as he realised that he wasn't entirely sure what he was planning to say. 'I did not accept you into my care to simply try and kill you again.' He said, deciding to go with the most direct route that would lead them away from this conversation, and, hopefully, away from this version of Inuyasha. 'And I did not come out here to begin another battle to the death with you-- I was merely going to attempt to train you so that you could handle that sword with some more grace and skill than that of a blind ogre, which is what you currently seem to possess. I am not trying to hurt you.' He added quietly, strangely humbled by Inuyasha's outburst.

'Oh.' Inuyasha said quietly, dropping his eyes and flattening his ears slightly in submission as recognition that he was wrong in his sudden outburst-- another thing Sesshomaru had never seen Inuyasha do: Admit he was wrong.

'Now, are you going to raise your sword, or am I going to have to get on my knees in order to battle with you.'

Sesshomaru kneeling before him... that was a novel idea!

The faint traces of remorse in Sesshomaru's eyes were off-kilter enough to put the poor hanyou into a state of uncertainty, but the very idea of Sesshomaru suggesting he kneel before him was enough to send Inuyasha into a state of utter shock as he stared at his brother wide-eyed.

After a moment of pointless staring, Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. 'I am not going to kneel before you, brother, so I suggest you raise your sword or I will be forced to attack your unguarded chest.'

Inuyasha blinked, snapping out of his stupor, and looked at his brother. Something flickered in the hanyou's eyes, and then the golden depths hardened again, and the small smirk he was so used to seeing was slowly returning as the cockiness and determination returned to his brother's face.

Sesshomaru's own face hardened slightly in response as he tightened his grip on Tokijin.

Without warning he started forward, raising his sword above his head to bring down in a mighty slash at the unguarded Inuyasha's head.

Inuyasha waited until the last minute, then his smirk widened and he raised Tetsusaiga to meet the blow, the swords clashing as dark electricity crackled between them, before Inuyasha roughly shoved back, forcing Sesshomaru a few paces away.

Sesshomaru fell back slightly, before attacking his brother again. And again and again and again. And again and again and again his brother blocked his blows and returning them with equal fervour.

By the end of it, both brothers were tired and breathing hard (though Sesshomaru hid it better and still seemed the composed aristocratic demon that he was) and it was apparent that they were ready to call it quits for the day. Sesshomaru was more worn out than he had been in a very long time, and in desperate need of a bath, however, after seeing the way Inuyasha's smirk slowly began to develop and finally transform completely into a full-fledged smile, it somehow was entirely worth it.

END

A\N: Lol, I think I used the word "strange" about fifteen times in one of the paragraphs up there. It was kinda strange actually...

Well, I think I may very well have destroyed Sesshomaru for people in this chapter, but it had to be done.

He has to get along, at least relatively, with Inuyasha, and that's all there is to it.

Please don't kill me!

**Special Thanks to: Box Queen, wolfygirl13, xolovexinuyasha, Darking Queen, sourapple10000, Wish-full Thinker, MewMewFireHeart, Black Betty, RamblingPhilosopher, Almandine-Azaleea Sexy Kat** and **Emily**-- The completely awesome reviewers from last chapter who I have made wait for who knows how long for this one! Sorry guys!

CMoC - Save me - Remy Zero, I'm not an addict - K's Choice, You give love a bad name - Bon Jovi, Yura Yura - Every Little Thing, Fade - Staind and Drown - 3 days grace


	42. Brothers

A\N:Alright, nobody killed me for the last chapter!

Lets hope I can keep that up with this one...

-Box Queen - Lol, well what do you want me to say? _I _have no idea what I'm talking about when I'm speaking for myself-- do you think that me quoting someone is gonna change that?

-xolovexinuyasha - Well that's good to hear! He's one of my fav characters, and I really hate getting him OOC like that. I don't mind putting him into stories and torturing the hell outta him, but he _must _be in character.

-Sexy Kat - Oh wow, really? Cool! I'm glad my writing is good enough to keep you interested like that!

-RamblingPhilosopher - Okay, there was a lot of sighing in there, should I be worried? -- Of course he kept some of his pride! When I go OOC I don't try to go completely and totally erratically off balance, I force them to keep some of their former traits. But, in this case, it's kinda necessary for Inu and Sess to get along. Inu already has psycho-bitch after him, not to mention Naraku, and he still isn't completely healed from his experience with either of them. If he's gonna get over it, he needs help. Actually, all in all, I don't think I really put him out of character so much as let him actually show some emotion, which is, again, necessary for this fic. Hm. Hang on a second, which side of this am I on? Do I think I made him OOC or not? Ugh-- I'm giving myself a headache! 

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, well then I guess it's a good thing that the chapters aren't very long, or you would've been there forever!

-Black Betty - Yep, my thoughts exactly. And there's more where that came from... I actually think I'm going to be focusing on Inuyasha and Sess's relationship for a bit now-- I've got this thing planned for one of the next chapters-- a little detail that some people have been enquiring about, but I haven't had a place to put in yet. Anyway, it's coming up soon, so...

-MewMewFireHeart - i don't know, maybe they had weak fingers. Lol, you're right, it's impossible to know what he's thinking, especially when confronted with everything he's begin confronted with. I mean, he's got his brother, who he hated since birth and has fought with and been thwarted by hundreds of times, living with him, broken and confused, and not wanting to fight with him anymore. Not to mention two ningens who he is supposed to hate. All in all, a very confusing time for Sess, I'd say. -- That's actually good advice... Hey, wait, does this mean that you're actually considering killing me? oo -- CMoC - Aha! I have started a trend! Lol

-wolfygirl13 - Lol, I'll be sure to check it out! Thanks! -- And don't worry, I like Laffytaffy too-- it's just a good thing I'm me and not my sister-- she's allergic to the stuff! It's actually a little funny, since we didn't know she was allergic, just thought she was sick, so my mom went out and got more laffytaffy to make her feel better!

-Ryunosuke-sama - Wow. That's... wow. I'm not even sure what to say to that. -- Arigato gozaimesu(sp?) doesn't seem to quite cover it. Lol. I guess you've been around here for quite awhile then, huh?

-kaginufan88 - Lol, it's always nice to meet other music lovers. Or Obsessers, w/e you want to call them. -- Thanks for the recommendations-- I'll be sure to take a look at these sometime when I've got a bit more time (I am sooooo busy right now, I've got schoolwork to do, chapters to write for this and another fic, a few one-shots I'm working on, and two more on-going fics that I'm trying to get out. I'm a very busy girl. )

-Wish-full Thinker - Thanks! beams You don't know how good that is to here!

Brothers

As their training progressed throughout the week, Sesshomaru worked hard to find Inuyasha's weaknesses and exploit them as much as he could, forcing his younger brother to learn to protect and hide them. In return, Inuyasha was honing in on Sesshomaru and fighting with a vigour he had never known his younger brother possessed.

Kohaku still wouldn't talk, but that was okay because Rin was thrilled with the fact that she now had a human and a "doggy" (as she liked to refer to Inuyasha) companion. Inuyasha didn't like the nickname, and was slowly teaching her to refer to him as Inuyasha, getting more frustrated when the girl would stubbornly call him "Lord Inuyasha", which seemed to insult or embarrass the hanyou to no end.

Jaken was less than pleased with their hanyou and ningen guest (though he really treated Kohaku much the same as he did Rin) but, after seeing how well the two managed to distract Rin from her constant pestering of him, he began to slowly accept their presences in the castle.

And Rin was more than fine with this.

Kohaku kept much to himself, and, in the moment when Inuyasha wasn't training or with Rin, he would often go and sit with the boy, neither speaking, just sharing a silent understanding. It made sense, Sesshomaru supposed: Both had lost everything, and now were working very hard to regain it in very strange circumstances.

It was a scene such as this that he was currently witnessing: Kohaku and Inuyasha, sitting on the lush grass just outside the edge of the forest that bordered the castle, neither speaking, just sitting, staring...

And then Rin came bounding up behind them, throwing two flowery wreaths upon their heads, laughing when both started, Inuyasha's hand instantly flying to the hilt of Tetsusaiga, lowering slowly when he realised it was only Rin.

They relaxed again, though a strange tension filled the air now that their strange peaceful aura had been broken, and Sesshomaru had not failed to see the fear that had entered both their eyes when the wreaths had landed on their heads.

His eyes narrowed slightly and he strode purposefully toward the small group, causing them all to look up at him, Rin instantly straightening and bowing to him. 'Hello my lord!' She said cheerfully, and Sesshomaru let his hand brush the top of her head in passing as he moved to stand beside Inuyasha.

'Kohaku, please go with Rin somewhere while I talk to Inuyasha.' The boy started slightly at his name, still clearly uncertain that Sesshomaru was not planning on killing him, then nodded and mutely turned to move with Rin back toward the castle.

Inuyasha stared up at him with questioning eyes, but he did not say anything as he sat himself down next to Inuyasha, unconsciously trying to re-enact the strange understanding and peacefulness that had floated between the hanyou and ningen before. He failed miserably, and the tension that had come with Rin only seemed to increase now that the two ningens were gone.

Sesshomaru stared angrily at the dark trees in front of him, wondering what connection the two had between them that allowed them to so act around one another when they barely spoke two words to one another on any given day.

He didn't even realise he had drawn his brother's gaze until Inuyasha's voice caused him to look over and meet the hanyou's eyes staring at him. 'Did you actually want to talk about something, or did you just come here to brood and glare at the trees?'

Sesshomaru gave a low warning growl, but it was half-hearted at best, and quickly died away into nothing. He stared at his half-brother for a moment, his eyes taking in the scars on his face and neck that were healing all too slowly.

A sharp wind blew, strong enough to blow the wreath of flowers off of Inuyasha's head, and send both demons hair streaming out in front of them, and Sesshomaru's eyes widened, then narrowed viciously as he got a full view of the markings on his brother's neck.

Two deeply cut and very raw rings that had clearly bled a lot signified the edges of something strong and large-- like a manacle -- having been wrapped around his brother's throat, and, judging by just how deep the cuts were, it had apparently been there for a long time.

But those wounds were not even the foremost in Sesshomaru's mind.

What was catching his attention was the wound at the nape of Inuyasha's neck.

A large hole, black, and with lines creeping several inches from it under the skin-- like veins carrying a black poison of some kind. And he could feel the remains of something very and powerful that had clearly once existed there. But what got him the most was the fact that he had seen a wound like that before. In Kohaku's back. In the human arm that Naraku had given him (though that one had been very weak, hardly perceptible). It was the mark left behind where a tainted jewel shard had been imbedded.

'What did he do to you?' Sesshomaru asked softly, and Inuyasha glanced up at him, noticed his stare, and moved his hand to cover the wound, but Sesshomaru caught his wrist, yanking it away and causing Inuyasha to flinch as his own fingers moved to brush over the wound. His eyes narrowed, and he glared at his brother.

'What did he do to you?'

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably under his brother's hard and unrelenting gaze as the fingers hovered over the wound of the jewel. He half expected Sesshomaru to jab his nails into the wound, which would undoubtedly cause the hanyou a great deal of pain. He remembered Naraku doing that. On many occasions. That was why he had reacted so violently to his brother's simple touch.

However, Sesshomaru's fingers were belying his eyes, and were not touching the wound except for the gentlest of brushings. He searched his brother's face, not sure what he was looking for, but, after several minutes, he seemed to find it, and Inuyasha decided to let his guard down and reveal to Sesshomaru all that Naraku had done to him.

He told him of the dark prisons with walls covered in objects that reeked of other demon's blood... that later reeked of his blood. The stench of fear and death that surrounded the halls, and the many methods Naraku used to break him.

Sesshomaru was silent throughout most of this, only interrupting once to ask a question that surprised Inuyasha to no end: Did he violate you?

Inuyasha wracked through his still slightly fuzzy mind, but came up with no evidence to say he had, and so shook his head, both brother's silently releasing the breaths they had not been aware they were holding.

When he got to the part about the metal collar Naraku had placed around his neck, as a final way of binding and breaking him, Sesshomaru had stiffened, his eyes flashing and bleeding over slightly with red.

'He collared you?' Sesshomaru demanded, his voice harsher then he had meant, and managing to effectively frighten his younger, uncertain sibling. The small nod Inuyasha gave only served to further feed his fury.

The fact that his brother had been chained and collared like some worthless common mutt was enough to send Sesshomaru's youkai into a fit of rage, though he kept it in check. Barely. That would explain the abrasion marks on his neck, then.

Once Sesshomaru had gotten a reasonable rein on his anger, he nodded at his brother to continue, certain that, if he opened his mouth again, even he would not be able to refrain from shouting again, and he did not want to see that fear fill his brother's eyes. Not now. Not ever again.

Making certain that his brother was not going to take out his sudden flare of anger on him, he proceeded to explain about the jewel shards, how they had made him forget, made him do things he hadn't wanted-- even when he thought of Naraku as his master, there were some things he had not been able or had not wished to do (like induce the same tortures used on him on that of nameless ningens and demons), and Naraku had used to jewels to force him.

When he was done, Sesshomaru was silent, his hand falling away from his brother's neck. Inuyasha felt strangely weak and pathetic next to his elegant and powerful elder brother, and he lowered his eyes in a submissive gesture, often practiced with Naraku, flattening his ears and mumbling sorry, though what he was sorry for was beyond him. Being weak, maybe? Being unworthy of his brother and everyone he had ever known? Being the worthless hanyou everyone had always thought him to be?

A low growl came from his brother, and his chin was grabbed and yanked roughly up as he was forced to meet flashing golden eyes.

'You are not weak, Inuyasha.' His brother said, as though able to read his thoughts. 'None of this was your fault. Don't ever think otherwise. You are the son of Inu no Taisho, and you are _not_ the slave or subordinate of anyone.'

Sesshomaru's words and outburst surprised both brother's, but he had said them, knew Inuyasha needed to hear them, knew that he _meant_ them, and he was not going to take them back now.

Slowly a small, timid smile worked it's way across Inuyasha's face, one of those rare ones that he secretly looked forward to seeing and had unconsciously been trying to coax out more of. 'Thank-you, Sesshomaru.' Inuyasha said quietly, and Sesshomaru blinked, growled, then roughly shoved Inuyasha's chin away from him.

Inuyasha fell back, and he glared at his brother half-heartedly, then grinned again before yawning widely, not bothering to stifle it with his hand. It was getting late and he was feeling surprisingly tired, even though the training session today had been supremely lax.

Not pausing to think (something he never did and really shouldn't start doing now), Sesshomaru reached over and gathered his brother up, resting his back against a tree before pulling the startled Inuyasha against him, resting his head against his chest.

'Sesshomaru?' Inuyasha asked quietly, his voice timid as he turned his confused gaze up toward his brother.

'Shh.' Sesshomaru said, pressing a finger against his sibling's lips. 'Do not ruin the evening with more of your pointless barking.' He said gently, voice devoid of anything but a gentleness Inuyasha had never heard before. 'You are tired, Inuyasha. Sleep.' His brother said, and Inuyasha, after lying tense a moment more against his brother, risked listening to his brother's advice, relaxing against his firm chest and letting his eyes drift closed.

They snapped open again when he felt a hand stroking his hair, and he tensed, memories of Naraku flitting into his mind. The hand stopped and he could feel Sesshomaru's eyes upon him.

Slowly, he evened out his breathing, forcing himself to relax as the hand resumed it's gentle stroking up to the point where he actually began to find the motion soothing.

Letting his eyes drift closed again, he unconsciously sighed and snuggled closer into the warmth of his brother's chest as sleep took him, startling Sesshomaru slightly.

He wasn't sure what had caused him to grab Inuyasha like this, other than the sudden strong urge to _protect_ and _comfort_ that he was used to feeling only for Rin-- and even then not as strongly as he felt it now.

He wrapped his arm around his brother and held him closer, wondering what trick of fate had led them down this road-- going from hating and trying to kill to teaching and trying to protect in less than a week.

He shifted slightly as the sun began to set slowly, painting the clouds orange, and Inuyasha groaned in quiet protest, immediately stilling his brother.

Sesshomaru stared down at Inuyasha, not sure what he was currently feeling for the boy.

He didn't love his brother, not even in a brotherly manner, of this he was certain. Inuyasha was here temporarily, and once this whole thing was over, things might not go back to normal, but there would definitely be the return of some of the older hostility that had existed before, and when that happened, it would be harder to destroy his brother if he came to care about him-- even harder if he ever came to admit it to himself.

So he held the sleeping Inuyasha-- who had been through so much more, and had laid it out before him to plainly see on the grass with no trace of self-pity evident in him, just a strange sense of remorse and humiliation and weakness-- closer against his chest, keenly aware of anything that so much as dared to breathe and silently warning it to stay away as he continued to follow that strange instinct to protect and comfort, allowing himself to be, for the moment, Inuyasha's brother.

END

A\N: Well that was a long one, and I think I got a bit more OOC there, but it's starting to play out a bit I think...

Anyway, there was WAFFs all around, so I need to go have a shower and wash my mouth out to see if I can't get rid of them. Till then!

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: Box Queen, xolovexinuyasha, Sexy Kat, RamblingPhilosopher, Clouds of the Sky, Black Betty, MewMewFireHeart, wolfygirl13, Ryunosuke-sama, kaginufan88 and Wish-full Thinker -- **THANKS SO MUCH YOU GUYS FOR YOUR AWESOME SUPPORT!

CMoC: We are one Tonight - ?(I think it's by lifehouse...), Superman (It's not easy) - Five For Fighting, Collide - Howie Day(? -- is that his last name?), Tubthumping - Chumbawamba, Blurry - Puddle of Mudd (Love this song!), One Day, One Dream - Tackey and Tsubasa and Have a Nice Day - Bon Jovi


	43. Let Sleeping Hanyou Lie

A\N: WOOHOO! 300 REVIEWS!

Just for that, I think I'll give you guys a little treat this chapter, though I'm not sure how many of you will enjoy it or think it accurate, _I _still like it-- even if there is a bit of WAFF in there.

-Ryunosuke-sama - Lol, well that's exactly what I'm trying to get at. Sesshomaru's a cold bastard, but he's also very cunning and he has shown compassion in the past when he didn't need to. I think that, especially with the way this story is going, they're all beginning to realise that, without an entirety alliance that includes them all, they're not gonna be able to defeat Naraku. But then again, they no longer have everyone, since Naraku's now got a couple of our old favs under him. BTW, I thought I'd point out, everytime I read the first couple of lines of your review, I'd have to go back and reread them because when you said "Quite note-worthy" I always read "Not quite worthy" and it just didn't seem to make sense with the rest of the review. Lol, well, I thought it was funny anyway.

-Wish-full Thinker - Ah yes, I was wondering when someone would ask me that. People asked me near the start if this was gonna be an Inu-Naraku fic and then if it was going to be (of all things) an Inu-Kikyo fic (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! FUCK NO!) and once again I have to say no, it ain't gonna be that. Hm. Maybe I better say that a bit louder to make sure everyone gets it. **_THIS ISN'T GONNA BE A SESS-INU FIC PEOPLES!_** There. I think everyone's got the message now. Lol, still, sorry if I had you worried there for a bit-- I know you read my other story and were a bit iffy about that.

-teenage inuyasha - YES! THAT'S WHO IT IS! Ugh, I just couldn't, for the life of me remember the name, and I was too lazy to look it up, so I just had to go with the first guess. Lol. Thank-you!

-Box Queen - Lol, that's really quite a feat that I've managed to accomplish, especially since I had no idea what my point was going into this. And I'm glad you're not trying to create war (didn't think you were) because I don't think that'd be very good at all.

-Clouds of the Sky - Hm. Well, since you're new I'll let that slide. I'm actually a fairly quick updater, or so I'm told, and I've been trying to keep up that reputation.

-lunerfox - Lol, yep, Brotherly Love. And is what a word? Replication? Yeah, that's a word.

-RamblingPhilosopher - Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. You need a pick-me-upper. Or something. Lol! -- I'll try and keep them like brother's, but I don't know how much they'll "spar" right now. After all, you've got to remember, Inu is still really effected by everything that's happened. He's training with Sesshomaru, but do you think he'd really want to get into fights with his brother after they just so freshly formed this new relationship? After all, he's been trained by Naraku to _not _get into fights and be defiant, and, while he may get that back eventually, I don't know if it's gonna happen anytime soon. I hope you understand.

-xolovexinuyasha - Yeah... I did go a bit overboard with the fluff didn't I?... sigh well I suppose that can't be helped, especially with the way I've been torturing them lately in some of my other fics.

-Forever To Be Me - Lol! Longer chapters make for later updates though...

-Almandine-Azaleea - Really? I thought I made her seem a bit... well, childish. I always found her to be surprisingly mature for her age, but not in an unbelievable sort of way. She still had childish attributes in her personality, but she seemed still to be more mature than some of the other's we see... like Shippo. But I suppose that's to be expected, seeing as how she has Sesshomaru and Jaken as her charges.

-Sexy Kat - Lol, I'm glad you liked it so much, and didn't misinterprut it or think it was OOC. I'm trying to avoid OOC-ishness, but it's almost impossible in a story like this. Only the original characters can remain In-character, and that's only because nobody knows what them being OOC would be like. -- And I agree totally-- Blurry is a totally awesome song!

-wolfygirl13 - Beams -- Well I'm glad I could brighten up your day a little! Believe me, I probably have as much fun writing these chapters as you have reading them! Plus, I get the bonus of reading such awesome reviews as this afterward! (BTW -- did you know your the 300th reviewer? o.o)

Let sleeping hanyou lie

Inuyasha felt himself hovering on the brink of wakefulness, and he frowned in agitation.

His feet were cold, and the air around him was chill and brisk and too fresh to be somewhere indoors. His upper body was warm though, and he could feel a weight of some kind draped over his shoulders.

He shifted and the weight did to, and the momentary feeling of anxiety disappeared as he realised that this was clearly not a means of restraint, as he had first thought.

Unconsciously, he snuggled closer to the warmth coming from whatever was under him, and paused when he felt it shift and move slightly to accomodate him. It was definitely alive then, but when Inuyasha tried to find it's scent, he could smell nothing but the faint traces of dew on the grass, and even those were just faint scents that his mind was only registering because they added to the freshness of the air around him.

He tensed slightly in confusion and cracked open his eyes, trying not to move as he glanced at the sky. No moon. Panic surged through him as he caught sight of black hair falling across his shoulder and his mind finally registered exactly why it was so bad to be caught by _anyone_ on this night. He was human.

Confusion laced with the earlier anxiety came soaring up to meet the panic, and he quickly pushed himself up and off his brother, turning his head to look at Sesshomaru with wide, fearful, and slightly amazed eyes.

His brother was looking back at him with a tinge of annoyance and concern in his eyes. After all, Inuyasha's hand _had_ been on his stomach when the boy had so suddenly decided he needed to shoot up and look at his brother, and, while the human had no real ability or strength to harm him, the pressure had been slightly similar to someone punching him lightly in the stomach, and it hadn't been exactly comfortable.

Inuyasha stared at his brother a moment, eyes wide and dark, glittering under the light of the stars, and Sesshomaru stared back, taking a moment to fully take in his brother's new appearance.

He had been slightly shocked to say the least when the hanyou in his arms had suddenly began to change was the rays of the fading sun hit him, his silver hair turning to the darkest black, and his ears sliding down to become the useless swirls of flesh that humans used to "hear" things. He had known that his brother turned human on some given night of the month, but he had never known when or what his brother might look like.

His change was... interesting and intriguing to say the least, especially now that Sesshomaru could see his eyes, no longer a pale gold so like his own, but a deep brown, almost burgundy in colour, a colour that undeniably belonged to the humans. Demon's very rarely had dark coloured eyes, though if there was a connection between that and their ability to see better, he didn't know.

All he knew was that he had a human Inuyasha in his arms, the brother who he had once hated so much in his weakest most venerable form, and he could feel the fear and uncertainty washing off the human in waves. Again, the strong desire to protect flowed through him as his brother glanced around, possibly for a way to escape.

'Inuyasha.' He said quietly, drawing the human's dark gaze toward him. He could feel the light tremble going through that body, whether from fear or the presumably chilly air on his weak human flesh, Sesshomaru wasn't sure. Either way, he wanted it to stop. His brother was safe here, under Sesshomaru's care, and had no reason to be afraid. If only he could get Inuyasha to understand and accept that, then everything would go a lot smoother.

The two brothers stared at one another a moment, neither sure what to say, but slowly, he could feel the fear leaving Inuyasha, even though the boy seemed un-inclined to relax again. He gently eased Inuyasha back down against his chest, secretly enjoying just holding his brother, accepting the offered comfort of having someone to protect that stilled the youkai within him from crying out in rage that this someone was a hanyou and a taint in his bloodline.

Inuyasha's teeth immediately flew to his lip as his brother drew him back down against him, and he tensed, a million thoughts and emotions rushing through his head. Naraku and Kikyo would sometimes hold him like this. Well no, not like this. Naraku always had an evil intent and some sort of torture in store, and Kikyo's embrace was always cold and lacking anything but possessiveness. But Sesshomaru... there was warmth in this embrace and comfort and something... not quite love. He didn't get his hopes up that Sesshomaru would ever love him-- he was still the taint in the family, and Sesshomaru would have to accept and get over that before he could love him, and he knew that was something Sesshomaru would never do.

But still, he felt safe in his brother's embrace, safer than he had in a long time, safe enough to risk falling asleep... Inuyasha started slightly, and sat half-way up again when Sesshomaru's arm tightened, staying him. He frowned, trying to ignore the rising surge of claustrophobic panic, and turned to look at his brother with wide eyes.

'I'm human.' He said, and Sesshomaru's lip twitched slightly and the pure amazement held in that statement.

'Yes, I noticed.' The lord of the Western lands said, and Inuyasha's eyes narrowed slightly as Sesshomaru's lip lifted ever so slightly in the closest thing to a smile he had ever seen his brother wear. 'I didn't mean that, I knew I was human before' he said angrily 'I just meant... I was asleep.'

Sesshomaru's eyebrows raised slightly. 'Little brother, if you are going to continue to point out the obvious, I am going to have to ask you to refrain from speaking at all. I do not need to be told that the sky is blue when I can see it plainly before my eyes.'

Inuyasha's eyes widened slightly at this statement, then narrowed again, though more in confusion now then anger or agitation. 'You don't understand.' He said in frustration 'I _never_ sleep when I'm human. Well, except when Naraku forced me, and when the spiders poisoned me, but that doesn't count because I had no choice...' he trailed off as he realised he had drawn his brother's gaze (though in reality, it had never really left him) and he sat silent for a moment, before shifting uncomfortably and glaring at Sesshomaru.

'What?' He demanded of his elder sibling, and Sesshomaru blinked and his eyes seemed to slide into focus (even though they had never looked out of focus to begin with) and then he shook his head lightly. He was not going to explain to Inuyasha why he had been staring. He was Sesshomaru, and he had no reason to explain himself to anyone, not even his half-demon brother.

In truth, that's all it really had been: a stare. He had been staring aimlessly at nothing in particular (that existed in this world, anyway) and Inuyasha simply happened to be in his line of sight.

Shaking his head again, he gently tightened his grip on Inuyasha, urging him to lie down again and go back to sleep so that Sesshomaru could think or stare in peace. 'It is nothing, otouto. Go back to sleep.' He said. Inuyasha eyed him a moment, but this was his first time in human form with his mind fully his own again, and he was exhausted.

So he let his brother lean him gently back down against his chest, and forced himself to relax (which was surprisingly not that difficult a task) and closed his eyes, drifting to sleep and silently praying that he would be alive to see the sunrise the next morning.

END (But only of the chapter )

Glossary

Hanyou - Half-Demon

Youkai - Demon

Otouto - Little Brother

(Don't ask me why I decided to have a glossary for this chapter, I just did! )

Okay, so, now to the most important part of the story:

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: Ryunosuke-sama, Wish-full Thinker, teenage Inuyasha, Box Queen, Clouds of the Sky, lunerfox, RamblingPhilosopher, xolovexinuyasha, Forever To Be Me, Almandine-Azaleea, Sexy Kat **and **wolfygirl13 **-- Wow, I hadn't realised there were so many of you! Lol, I lost a couple people along the way I think, but I hadn't realised so many more had accumulated to my story! THANKS YOU GUYS, FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS AND SUPPORT, AND I'M GLAD YOU ALL ARE ENJOYING THE STORY!

CMoC - Somewhere out there - Our Lady Peace, She Hates Me - Puddle of Mudd, One Day, One Dream - Tackey and Tsubasa, (Don't feel like typing out the Japanese name) Graduation: Farewell is for Tomorrow - Tackey and Tsubasa, Untitled (How could this happen to me?) - Simple Plan, Brother, My Brother - Blessed Union of Souls ( -- This song is actually very much associated with Inu and Sess and I guess, if I _had _to pick a theme song for this or the last chapter, it'd probably be this, though I've definitely seen fics it suites better), My Happy Ending - Avril Lavigne and In Our Gun - Gomez

Lol, that list wouldn't be half as long if I hadn't ranted on in the middle of it!


	44. Acting Like It

A\N: Ugh! Late update! Really friggen late!

Gomen guys, my computer's been acting like the piece of crap it is, and so has my mind. But I'm back with another chapter now!

Lol, I also just discovered something when I was considering how to respond to the below reviews: I'm weird (Lol, actually I've known that for a very long time, but...) a little bit crazy (Again, know that for a long time, but...) and I think I scare people. I don't know, a lot of reviewers on some of my other stories don't seem quite certain how to react to me. Not that a lot of people do, but...

_Anyway_...

-Almandine-Azaleea - Lol, well, OOC or not, it's still interesting to see this side of Sess. As long as I can make it believable!

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, I know that, I just like to "heckle" people. Gomen, but I do it to everyone, and I wouldn't want you to feel out of place, now would I?

-The Grand Dunegeon Master - Lol, kay! Glad you're liking it!

-xolovexinuyasha - Yeah... I don't know _when _the hell I'll get to that, but hopefully soon... It may very well make you cry! And I think you'll be happy to know that I was reading a story the other day and it kinda made me want to cry. At first I thought it was a fluke, but I read the story two more times and it had the same sort of effect. I didn't actually cry, but at least it's something, neh?

-Wish-full Thinker - Umm... I really can't comment on that... Lol, but still, I'm glad to hear you like this chapter and that I was able to quell your fears. This is an Inu\Kagome fic... well, an Inu fic, anyway... It _will_ be an Inu\Kagome fic if I can ever get the two of them together again! Lol, and I never intended on making it otherwise. It was tempting, but no, not for this fic. -- And yep, Amaya is, of course, back, but I thought you guys might enjoy a little break from her, since it seems like she's always in every chapter doing everything. Apparently though she's more popular than I thought.

-lunerfox - Lol, yeah, Simple Plan and Avril I listen to and like most of their music (her being pretty much the only female singer in the world I can actually stand to listen to let alone like) and I have heard a couple of good charlotte songs, but not necessarily enough to say that I "listen to them." Lol, I actually rarely listen to songs by an individual band-- normally if I hear the song, like it, it goes on my playlist and I don't really care who it's by. However, if I hear enough songs by the same person _then_ I might start to search them out. Simple Plan and Avril are some of these people who I might search out, but I haven't heard enough by Good Charlotte to really claim that big an interest in them. -- Lol, I bet you're glad you asked, you gave me a simple question, and I returned it with a loooooooong complicated explanation.

-Darking Queen - Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I'll try and make the next chapter's a bit eviller so that you don't feel inclined to any sibling niceties. Lol-- it's fine if you miss chapters. Lots of people are doing it lately-- seems there's just a lot going on, and I never actually expected people to keep up with all the chapters anyway, considering that normally means reading every single day from this story, but I guess people just like it that much that they feel inclined to appologize for missing chapters.

-Black Betty - Lol, well I can honestly tell you that I can't wait to see what'll happen either! I am just as clueless as you people!... hang on a second, that sounded like an insult... oh well, it's not supposed to be, and I think you get my meaning anyway!

-RamblingPhilosopher - Actually, no, the fluff in this fic has _nothing _to do with valentines day. You guys should all know by now that I celebrate holidays with Angst and suffering. -- Still, glad you enjoyed it. I really gotta get some more angst in here sometime soon though, or my brain will explode. TOO MUCH FLUFF!

-Nassica12 - Thanks!

-Sexy Kat - Lol, thanks! There's actually a bunch of people saying that Sess is in character and a bunch saying he isn't, and I have no idea either way, so I just continue to write him this way because it better suites my means.

-wolfgirl13 - Wow, it's like Halloween all over again! -- Of course I'll continue to try and write well (and gomen again for the late update) because I'm not really writing this for me. If this was written for me, it'd probably be entirely different. But it's not, it's written more for you guys than anything. _I _wasn't even going to continue it. (manipulative reviewers!)

-Ryunosuke-sama - Oh no! It wasn't any fault of yours! Have you ever read a sentence and, no matter how many times you read it, your mind tries to organize it in a different way then it's written out? That's what was happening with me-- I was reading the sentence, it was worded right and properly, but my mind refused to put it in the right order. -- Lol, that's what I'm trying to go for with this-- I think Sess is probably acting a bit more like his old self in this chapter. I just want to make sure everyone knows, Sess isn't becoming completely OOC for everyone, mostly just toward Inuyasha and maybe a bit OOC for other people. He's probably more shaken up inside than we originally perceive. -- Umm, no that's not a rarity. Most of my chapters are very short. It's a rarity if they're long, and people normally bring out the champagne when they are. -- What can I say-- I'm not one of the authors who can just sit down and write, write, write, write, write forever on a single 10-page chapter. My are shorter, but cover mostly the same amount of things, and I get them up sooner than that. Not that there's anything wrong with that method of writing, that's just not the way I do things. -- "Greatness?" Really? Woah... that's just... well, not something I ever thought would be associated with my stories. Arigato!

-sourapple10000 - Oh, that's fine, I understand completely. Lol, you don't have to apologize, it's not like you betrayed me or something. There have been some people who have seemingly abandoned this story, but I don't expect an apology from them either-- if they lost interest, that's their problem, not mine. I've still got all you guys! -- Lol, besides, it seems I'm a little late with the updates myself... o.o

-MewMewFireHeart - Everybody keeps apologizing for not reviewing every chapter! Lol, I said it to everyone else, and I'll say it to you: Apology is not necessary! I never expected anyone to review every chapter anyway! -- Lol, yay, reinforcements! Lol, actually it seems that even the people who do think his OOC like this new form of him, and are willing to let me live writing it. Besides, if they didn't, then we'd never finish the story, now would we? -- Hm. Now that is definitely an interesting thing to say-- Which _is _more interesting? My rants or my story? I have absolutely no idea. My story is clearly the workings of complete insanity, and my rants even more so. -- "Argh! Fuck no!" I say that only because it's true. there is _no _point to Kikyo's existance except to add love interest-- which there's enough of that already. I think the most she ever did was send a couple of people the spirit world, and tell Tsubaki not to hurt Inuyasha. Plus she foiled Naraku up a very little bit, but I gotta say, I'm on his side. In fact, I've become a lot more fond of Naraku ever since he killed her way back when. Not that killing her ever does anything-- she just keeps coming back, again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again anad again and agan and again and again. Annoying yet? Well, not nearly as annoying as Kikyo! I'd rather have this than her! -- Oh, also, I've heard the song "wasn't me" by Shaggy. I've heard the real version and the radio version, and it was sooooooo bad. You know how they change or bleep "bad" stuff out on the radio? Well, you know the line from the song "Picture this, we were both butt-naked, banging on the bathroom floor"? Well, they, of course, couldn't allow that, so they changed it to "Picture this, we had all our friends over, cleaning up the bathroom floor." Yeah. Picture that. You can understand why his Girlfriend wanted to break up with him, huh? Imagine that bastard, trying to clean up the bathroom. Sheesh! The nerve of some people.

Well, this is probably almost as long as the story now, so I guess I better shut up now and let you guys get onto the chapter. Sorry, guess I just had a lot to say!

Acting Like It

Amaya stopped in her tracks, catching sight of the two inu demons.

At first she was more startled at Inuyasha's appearance in general, what with his black hair and round ears, and had instantly tensed at the idea that Sesshomaru now knew of Inuyasha's transformation date. She herself had not known it until now, but she was not necessarily a potential threat to the hanyou. She would not kill him after all her work just to get him free.

However, the longer she stood staring at the two oblivious youkai, the more she absorbed of the peaceful and relaxed aura around them, until it began to take hold on her as well, and a slow smile began to spread across her lips.

From what she knew, the two brothers had always had a great hate and loathing for each other, and now here they were, curled up on the ground, oblivious to the world around them, just waiting for the time to move again.

She wasn't even aware exactly how long she had stood there staring at the two, only that when she had arrived there it had still be dark in the moonless night of the new moon, and now the sun was painting streaks across the ground.

She started slightly, an moved to take a step forward, then stopped as the sun's rays reached the two sleeping youkai, and she watched as they touched Inuyasha, seeming to paint his hair pale silver as they spread up his body. Human ears disappeared, and his dog-ears returned resting on his head, both drooping slightly to the side in sleep, his eyes fluttering slightly as he pressed closer against his brother.

Amaya smiled, her eyes slightly wide, and shook her head, stepping toward the two inu's, and drawing Sesshomaru's sharp gaze toward her. It seemed he hadn't been asleep, but neither had he been aware of her presence, and he looked up at her now, a faint tint of red flickering into his gaze momentarily, before flickering out just as abruptly.

'Ohaiyo gozaimasu, Sesshomaru.' She said, not bothering to hide her smile as she flicked her gaze over the still sleeping Inuyasha. She took in the narrowing of Sesshomaru's eyes and the fact threat in them that anything she might say next could possibly get her killed, before risking it all and saying 'It seems the little hanyou has warmed up the cold castles of the Western Lands.' Her smirk grew as Sesshomaru gave a low growl, cutting off when Inuyasha's eyes fluttered again and his body tensed noticeably.

Sesshomaru forced his anger down and relaxed his body, trying not to waken his brother while he gazed up at the sorceress.

'Why are you here?' He asked, regaining some of his normal indifference. The hanyou had him off-balance, and he didn't like it.

'I merely came to check up on Inuyasha, to see that he was still alive.' She said coolly, and Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at the blow to his honour. It was a serious one indeed if someone accuses you of being untrustworthy enough to kill someone you've taken into your care.

'That doesn't explain why you are skulking around in the middle of the night. You could have just as easily made this "check-up" during the reasonable hours of the day.'

'It _is_ day, Sesshomaru, or had you not noticed that your brother has changed back and the sun is shining in your eyes?' She asked, taking a few steps closer. 'And no, I could not have made this "check-up" as we are dubbing it as easily during the "reasonable hours of the day". I have been busy ever since I left the hanyou in your charge, I have been busy with the humans and Naraku and other things that are not yet of your concern.' She said, eyeing Inuyasha's sleeping face again. All her words were true: She had been busy keeping the ningens calm, especially Sango and Kagome, who were incredibly worried and relieved at the same time to learn that Inuyasha and Kohaku were now in Sesshomaru's care. Neither seemed to trust the demon lord not to kill them, and that was the main reason she was here: to ease their hearts. Even if she did not trust the demon Lord, she knew that he had enough aristocratic honour not to kill those in his charge. Inuyasha and Kohaku were alright. For the moment.

Yet she had never suspected to find Sesshomaru holding Inuyasha in such an intimate embrace, never expected him to... act like a brother. The Lord had been less than pleased when she had announced that Inuyasha would have to stay with him, and yet here he was, holding the sleeping Inuyasha protectively against his chest while he had slept through his transformation. She had seen the flash of red in his eyes when she had approached, and she knew that, had she been coming from behind, Sesshomaru would have undoubtedly killed her.

That fact alone would be enough to relieve any tension or worries of him killing his brother at least: He was so protective over the young hanyou, he was ready to attack any living thing that approached, friend or not.

She cocked her head thoughtfully as Inuyasha's face scrunched up for a moment into a frown, and then relaxed and smoothed out again. 'He is very peaceful right now.' She said, causing Sesshomaru to look down at his brother, his face instantly softening some. 'I have never seen him so relaxed before, not even in sleep in the Miko's care.' She said, and Sesshomaru seemed slightly surprised at this.

'He was very reluctant to sleep at all. I am surprised.' Sesshomaru murmured quietly. 'He has been asleep most of the night though.' He paused and stared at Inuyasha's eyes, which were moving rapidly under their lids.

'He is dreaming.' Amaya said, and Sesshomaru stared more intently at his brother, as though searching for something. Inuyasha's face contorted again, an expression of pain this time, and he whimpered, his head thrashing to the side.

Sesshomaru's own eyes narrowed slightly as he shifted, tightening his arm around Inuyasha's body, and leaning down to whisper something into Inuyasha's ear that her human ears could not pick up. The cat-like ear flicked back, then forward, and Inuyasha whimpered again, his hand reached up toward Sesshomaru's face, causing the demon lord to instinctively pull away. Inuyasha's hand closed around air, and he whimpered again, his face darkening, as his lips moved softly. '_Sesshomaru_.' He whimpered quietly, and Amaya raised an eyebrow, while Sesshomaru looked slightly startled.

'He's calling for you Sesshomaru.' She said, making sure her challenge was evident in her voice, in her next words. 'Will you go to him?'

Sesshomaru looked up at her, eyes cold, then back at his troubled brother, whose eyes still moved rapidly, and whose hand was slowly curling into a fist and moving toward his chest in a protective manner, as though someone was trying to attack him and he was weakly trying to defend himself.

Sesshomaru's hand moved to meet it, and he gently wrapped his own elegant fingers around that of his brother's. Inuyasha tensed and stilled, his eyes cracking open after a minute, blinking in confusion, a trace of fear from whatever dream assailant had been attacking him lingering in the honeyed depths, before focusing in on his brother's face.

'Sesshomaru?' He asked quietly, his voice full of confusion, as he glanced down at their clasped hands. Amaya decided this would be a good time to leave, since she had not even planned staying this long in the first place. She cleared her throat loudly, drawing both hanyou and youkai's gazes to her.

'I take my leave.' She said quietly as Inuyasha stared at her in shock, and Sesshomaru in icy contempt.

She turned to walk away, then paused and looked back at the two brother's whose eyes were still fixed on her.

'Inuyasha, you have nothing left to fear, Sesshomaru will take good care of you.' She said gently, before turning and continuing on her route, leaving a stunned silence behind her as the two brother's contemplated what had just happened, and the seriousness of what she had just said, even as both realised for the first time that she was telling the truth.

Sesshomaru _would_ protect and look after him.

And Inuyasha would let him.

Because somehow, when the universe had suddenly decided to spin rapidly out of control, it had become natural. It had become right.

And that made everything else that they had been through silly and insignifigant, because it _was_ right. They were brothers, after all.

And the time had finally come that they were acting like it.

A\N: sighs another WAFF chapter. I really gotta stop this...

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: Almandine-Azaleea, Clouds of the Sky, The Grand Dungeon Master, xolovexinuyasha, Wish-full Thinker, lunerfox, Darking Queen, Black Betty, RamblingPhilosopher, Nassica12, wolfygirl13, Ryunosuke-sama, sourapple10000 **aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand **MewMewFireHeart**. -- These are truly great people, but, unfortunately, I can't tell you why I'm thanking them. I'm sure if you have more than one functioning brain-cell you can figure it out for yourself though, and give them all a pat on the back!

CMoC - Brand New World - V6, Don't Tell Me - Avril Lavigne, Somewhere Out There - Our Lady peace, Angels Loosing Sleep - Our lady Peace, We are One Tonight - Switchfoot, Right Here - Staind, Drown - Three Days Grace, I'm 18 - Creed, It's Over Now - Neve, Thank-you - Dido and Perfect - Simple Plan


	45. Everything

A\N: Konbanwa everyone! (Or Ohayo, depending on where you live ) -- Sorry for the late update, but this time it's _not _my fault. I've been trying to update this thing for more than two days, but the computer and the site seem to be conspiring together against me and I haven't been very successful.

Anyways, for curiosity's sake, cause I can't remember, did I already do reactions to Inuyasha and Kohaku being with Sesshomaru?

Well, doesn't matter, cause I'm doing them again.

-Black Betty - Lol, I know what you mean. I actually enjoy seeing them fight, I don't know why, it's just something I get some sort of sadistic pleasure out of, but my sister doesn't seem to like it much. I finally convinced her to watch the third movie, and I think it completely ruined it for her because she kept going on and on about how Sesshomaru is smarter than that and would just work with Inuyasha and yadda yadda yadda. I didn't agree with her entirely, because maybe Sess is smarter than that, but that doesn't mean he'd give up his pride and work with Inu.

-Wish-full Thinker - Lol, maybe I really should open up a permanent glossary huh? I keep using words and terms and everybody gets all confused... Anyway, Ohaiyo stands for "good morning" and Ohaiyo Gozaimesu is just a more polite term of that. Also, WAFF stands for Warm And Fluffy Feeling. Yeah, I gotta get rid of the fluff somehow somewhen somewhere or it'll drive me nuts. What can I say, I'm not a fluffy person. Ooooh kaaaaaaay that was a weird sentence...

-lunerfox - Well I looked up all those song and I couldn't find a damn one of them. I did however accidentally click on Lifestyles of the rich and famous (that's by them right?) and that one was... interesting. I liked most of it anyway. -- Now, to answer your question-- How do I update with chapters so quickly with school, homework, and everything else? Well, so long as you keep it between us, I'll let you in on a little secret. I don't sleep. Lol, okay, not really, but I don't sleep as much as other people. I normally only go on six or seven hours of sleep, sometimes less. Plus I just get my homework done normally before I actually end up leaving class or right away when I get home (gotta get it outta the way! ) so that does help a little bit. All in all, I find writing chapters to be a bit relaxing, and it's sort of my way to wind down after everything else. I don't really know if that answered your question, but there you go.

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, well all I need is a reason or an excuse, and I can really start to get on people's nerves. And I'll certainly try not to leave you out! Lol, sorry, I'm trying to think of something witty to say, but the volume was up full on my computer, and it started playing an already really loud song so I think my brain just short circuited.

-wolfygirl13 - Well, I have no idea if this chapter's "Fluffy" or not, but it's not Sess and Inu so that's a nice change. Lol, that's okay, I've got cookies! You can have some if you like!

-Sexy Kat - Lol! I'll try to update soon, but my computers been a real ass lately and it's been hard to get updates up.

-Almandine-Azaleea - Wow. I don't know what to say... Thanks seems like a good place to start though.

-RamblingPhilosopher - Yeah, for some reason it wouldn't let me update either. Lol, anyway, I've updated now, and I think I might just go pass out on the floor for a little while, so if you'll excuse me...

-Inume - Lol, okay, hope you enjoy it!

-Darking Queen - Lol, a goddess? Well I wouldn't go so far as to say that, but... -- WAFF - Warm and Fluffy Feeling.

-xolovexinuyasha - Hm. Okay. Hm. Well, I didn't understand half of what you just said, but I think I get the just of it. About crying when you're in pain, I have to disagree. I actually don't cry when I'm in pain (but I'm a redhead so, maybe that has something to do with it ), my whole mind just sort of disconnects from my body and I don't really feel it (I wasn't aware I'd cracked a bone in my arm except that it felt a little different then normal) but I still think crying is okay. Yeah, this coming from robot girl over here. -- Lol, crying is natural and a good thing in my opinion, I just don't prefer to do it. Everyone has different ways of dealing with pain and sadness, and if that's their way of going about it then that's their way of going about it and that's good for them. Whatever works. Anyway, I'm glad you're excited that I nearly cried (though really it was more of a happy\sad kinda crying and, in the end, I ended up just sort of sitting there smiling like an idiot as usual, even though the end of the story had someone killing someone else) but I'm also a little curious as to why you seem so obsessed with me crying. oO should I be worried?

Alright, People, if your not interested in music or my ranting or anything else, then please just skip ahead down to the story. For the rest of the music lovers here, I thought I'd find out a bit more about other people's taste in music, so here it goes: I want to know the first 15 songs to play on your playlist. Yes, I know this has been done before, but not by me, so just go with it okay? Don't be embarrassed or anything, nobody's listening to you anyway. Lol jj. Okay, the first ten to play on mine are 1. Bad Day - Daniel Powter, 2. Superman (It's not easy) Five For Fighting, 3. Stop Crying Your Heart Out - Oasis, 4. Fukai Mori (Deep Forest) - Do as Infinity, 5. Grip - Every Little Thing, 6. It's My Life - No Doubt 7. No More Words - Ayumi Hamasaki(sp?), 8. Hanging By a Moment - Lifehouse, 9. Don't Go Away - Oasis,

10. Brand New World - V6, 11. Lies - Evanesence, 12. I'm not an Addict - K's Choice, 13. Breathe - Anna Nalick, 14. Broken - Seether/Amy Lee 15. One Day, One Dream - Tackey and Tsubasa 16. Drown - Three Days Grace. Oh wait, I said fifteen didn't I? Oh well, that's a bonus one. Lol, now, if you're still with me after that, I want to know you're tope 5 fav songs. Or, if you don't have favs, just some of the ones you listen to the most. (not in order) -- 1. Blurry - Puddle of Mudd, 2. Grip - Every Little Thing, 3. Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls, 4. Superman (It's not Easy) - Five for Fighting and 5. Sotsugyou Sayonara wa Ashita no Tame ni (Graduation: Farewll is for Tomorrow) - Tackey and Tsubasa.

Well, there you have it. If you're here, you've either ignored the blurb above, or are currently considering participating in it, so have fun either way, and I'll stop ranting now so you can have the chapter.

Everything

Amaya sighed as she waited for the ningen girl to start screaming at her.

She had just been to see Sango and Miroku (who appeared to be doing much, much better) and had now come down to see Kagome, who (with a little aide from Amaya) was also getting a little stronger (though, if she were to lift her shirt even a little ways, Amaya was certain there would still be ribs poking sharply against the flesh and threatening to burst out with every movement of muscle under skin). Kagome knew that Inuyasha was with his brother now, but she seemed less than pleased at the idea.

Sango had been surprisingly understanding about the situation, though the strange little kitsune called Shippo had revealed to her that Sango really didn't know all that much about Sesshomaru other than he had frequently tried to kill Inuyasha.

But now, instead of meeting a full on explosion about all she had learned of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's comings and goings, Kagome was just looking up at her with deep, thoughtful eyes, the depths of which could not be seen by another's eyes alone. She would have to go inside Kagome's mind if she wished to truly understand exactly what the girl was thinking about, how she felt about this, and the thought was a little less than appealing to her.

She had been in and out of people's minds for the past month or so, and it was really beginning to take it's toll on her. Despite her powers, she still was only a ningen, and could in no way compare to the youkais abilities to go without sleep and rest.

She had a feeling that, should she bother to look into a mirror about now, she would not be able to recognise her own face. She might not look to terribly different, physically, but, when a person's mind is significantly changed, the way that they view the world irreversibly altered, it showed clearly in their eyes-- all one had to do was look. And Amaya's view on the world had definitely been altered. Again. And she was beginning to get tired of it. Though in this case it was altered by unwitting choice, whereas the other time there had been none.

The humans, especially Kagome, had altered her somehow, and she was finding that she was beginning to _care_ again. This plan was no longer some amusing way to pass the time, nor to free herself. She _cared_ about what happened to the ningens, whether Inuyasha (who had grown upon her before she could even begin to try and stop him) would be alright with his brother-- if he would, in the end, try and kill him again. Kohaku... well, she didn't care so much about him, but, because he was Sango's brother, she felt the need to be certain the little brat was kept safe from harm.

The thought that the humans were so far under her skin-- though she had had it before-- still felt like a rather startling revelation-- and not one she was entirely happy with. But she wasn't entirely unhappy with it either. And _that_ realisation was even more startling than the first one.

She shook her head, and focused in on the words pouring from Kagome's mouth that she had yet to hear any of.

'...better him then Kikyo.' Kagome said, as though finishing a sentence, though what she had said before was lost on Amaya as the brown-eyed girl turned toward her, eyes curious 'do you think Sesshomaru will hurt Inuyasha? That he'll protect him?'

Amaya's brow furrowed. 'Have you lost all common sense in your time down here, or do you simply take a great joy in disregarding everything I say and pelting me with foolish questions?' The sorceress asked. 'I have already told you a myriad of times that Sesshomaru will _not_ kill the boy or your hanyou. He has taken them under his care, and a youkai such as that would have enough honour to not try and kill those who sought him out for protection. And as to your other question, I think Sesshomaru is more than able to protect his brother and that little ningen child. He is a powerful demon-- more powerful than Naraku by far. I doubt that even the priestess's powers would be enough to make him falter. Now if that is the only questions you have for me, I would ask you to refrain from speaking. Your voice is distracting and giving me a headache with it's pointless bantering.'

Kagome stared at her and then smiled suddenly, and Amaya eyed her suspiciously. 'Something amuses you?' She asked dryly, not liking that look on the girl at all.

Kagome shook her head. 'No. I'm just... glad. Glad that you're helping us. It means everything to me Amaya.' She said. And she meant it literally. Without Amaya none of this would be possible-- Inuyasha would still be in Kikyo's care (not that Kagome would know that, because Amaya was the one who told her) Miroku would probably be dead, and Sango would never know if Kohaku was alive still or not.

And those people, and then the ones she left back in her own time, meant everything to her. They were her life, her heart and her soul. Without them, there simply was no point in living, and she probably would have died or killed herself long ago-- tearing gashes into her wrists with her teeth if she had to.

And she knew that, whether the sorceress liked it or not, they had convinced her, _made_ her care about them. And she would not abandon them now.

Not when everything they wanted, had worked so hard to get, was so nearly in their grasp.

'It's going to happen soon.' Kagome said. Not a question, but Amaya cocked an eyebrow and stared at her anyway. 'Are you talking to me, or to yourself. Because if you wish to speak to yourself, I'll gladly leave so that you can carry on the conversation in privacy.'

Kagome looked up at her, unphased by her comments. 'The battle. The final battle. It's going to happen soon.'

Amaya stared at her, as though contemplating this fact, then nodded her head. 'Hai. Soon we will battle.'

Kagome stared at her questioningly, but still in a strangely quiet way, her voice strangely accepting, hollow, in a way eerily mirroring that of Kanna's. 'How will you know when?' She asked, as though it really didn't matter, but morbid curiosity had forced her into speaking.

The sorceress stared at her for a moment, then said 'when the preparations are complete. When you-- all of you-- are ready.'

Kagome stared at her, then nodded. 'I am ready.' She said, and Amaya looked into her eyes and knew that, even if her body was still so physically deprived, the girl was not lying. Still she shook her head. 'Not until your body is ready are you ready.' Though being ready in body was far more trivial than being ready in mind. 'And even if you are-- even if all your ningen friends are-- Inuyasha is not. He still needs more time--a week at least I'd say. And when he is ready...' She trailed off, eyes going slightly distant like Kagome's, becoming slightly hollow and empty as well, suiting the mood that had taken over the entire room.

'Then we shall go for battle.' Kagome finished for her, and Amaya looked at her, blank for a moment, before her eyes flickered back to life, hardened in grim determination. 'Then we shall go for everything.' She corrected, her voice low but still managing to slice through the atmosphere like a blade, and the two stared silently at each other as the full truth of their words began to really sink in.

They were going to battle with the most malicious and evil creature to ever walk the earth. It was very possible that none of them would make it out alive-- and those that did, when the smoke finally cleared, if they had not defeated Naraku... those that made it out alive would wish they had not.

It was a grim truth, but a truth nonetheless, and nothing was a better motivation than the truth.

In this case, the truth was all that gave them the mindset to fully understand what they were risking, and what failure meant.

In this case, the truth meant everything.

And everyone.

**SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE REVIEWERS MENTIONED ABOVE! **-- Sorry guys, but it's been a really long day and I am really tired, and I just don't feel like typing out everyone's name. .

CMoC - Just whatever was listed above. -- Like I said, I am really tired right now, and that was typed out a few days ago when I was originally going to update this! 


	46. Nowhere Else

A\N: Okay, woosh, this chapter was almost fluffy, but I think I twisted some angst and darkness into there as well.

Got some sleep last night.

Now my body and mind have no idea what to do with all the energy, but seem to think going back to sleep would be a good idea.

Anyway...

-Black Betty - Well, you're going to have to wait, as you can see, because it's gonna take me a while yet to get them together. If I ever do, that is. Still, it should be fun getting there.

-Wish-full thinker - Woosh! That's a long read! Lol, now I know how you guys must feel when you go through my rants! -- Lol, your taste in music isn't strange, at least in my opinion. I don't think I've ever heard a single song you've got on there, but that doesn't really matter. Some of my preferred songs are on the LotR soundtrack or sung in a language I don't understand. Lol, I like Irish and celtic music. I don't listen to it on a regular basis, but I still like the sound of it. But I've got a lot of Irish and Scottish in my blood, so... Or I've at least got the temper of an Irish person. That's what everyone says, anyway. -- I think the song you're thinking of is I'm gonna be (500 miles) by the Proclaimers. OH! So I have heard a song on your list! Lol, anyway, I'm glad you paticipated in this-- I actually just expected everyone to skip over and ignore it. -- And I'm not asleep yet! That marker better not be permanent!

-Sexy Kat - Well, as the saying goes "Don't throw your computers out of your window, throw the windows out of your computers." Lol, my computer is incredibly old, actually, so... and I think it might have had something to do with the site more than my computer anyway. -- Lol, I like lively songs. Sometimes. You have to catch me in the right mood. But I've never heard any Gundam Seed songs. I don't actually watch that show...

-RamblingPhilosopher - Well I hope you get some sleep soon. And maybe I'll try and give Amaya an opportunity to get some. But I doubt it. If I have to suffer so does she! -- I don't think anyone can wait till the battle, but they'll have to. I've had this one plan for the battle in my head for a loooooooooong time, but it's just taking a long time to get there. Anyway, I'll get around to it sometime, I'm sure, and until then, we'll just have to keep chipping away with these chapters.

-wolfygirl13 - Lol, You, me, and RamblingPhilosopher. Maybe we should get some Benzodiazepines or something. -- Lol, pepsi and coffee are good and all that (If you like em) but food with high caffeine would probably work better. Lol, it would probably give you more energy, and give you something to do. -- Anyway, hope you get some sleep soon! I'll give you some more pocky if you can get all rested up!

Nowhere Else

Inuyasha sighed, staring at the clouds painted pink and orange in the setting sun.

The Western lands were spread out before him like an artist's landscape-- beautiful and amazing to behold, but something about it always not feeling quite real.

Kohaku was off at the dojo.

Inuyasha had finally coaxed him into really beginning to talk again, and Rin had been pestering non-stop ever since.

Sesshomaru had sent the boy off to train at the dojo, both in an effort to save Kohaku and relieve all of them from her endless stream of words as well as get him prepared for battle again-- should it come to that.

Kohaku had revealed much to Inuyasha about Naraku-- the biggest factor of which had been that the youkai lord wasn't really. He was still a hanyou-- the jewel had not transformed him. It seemed both the demon inside and Midoriko found him unworthy of becoming a full demon.

There had been several other more vital things that the boy had retold to Sesshomaru, but Inuyasha couldn't really get past this one little fact.

And now he wondered-- had he been successful in killing Kikyo (which he now remembered attempting to do) and getting the jewel from her-- would the jewel have turned him full demon? Would Midoriko have found him worthy? Would the demon have?

No sound, just a shift in the air, and Inuyasha had Tetsusaiga in his hand, spinning around and stopping just short of slicing the intruder's head off, his face a mask of anger and determination, and then grim surprise when he realised his sword was now positioned millimetres from piercing his brother's neck.

He sighed and slowly sheathed his sword. 'Dammit Sesshomaru, you shouldn't sneak up on me like that! I could've killed you!'

Sesshomaru raised one elegant eyebrow.

'I was not sneaking, little brother. And had I wished to dodge your rash assault, it would have been only too easy.' He said, and Inuyasha glared, getting used to his brother's harsh comments. He had learned Sesshomaru's strategy by now: If you irritate the "rash" little hanyou enough with words, then it will spur him into more vigorous action. And now that he knew Sesshomaru's plan, he also was beginning to resist the urge to slice his brother in half for saying things like that.

Sesshomaru came to stand beside him and the two brother's stared in silence out and the forests and fields before them.

'You have improved.' Sesshomaru noted in a nonchalant tone, and Inuyasha's eyes flickered toward his brother in their sockets before staring at the shadowy land before him again.

'You have trained me well.' Inuyasha stated back, feeling the sudden need to be formal with his brother. He had never had a trainer before that he could remember-- had always lived and learned from his experiences. Thus had he developed his harsh, drastic (some had even said barbaric) fighting style-- having grown to have little patience for learning the required skills that came with such things.

"_You rush forward with hastiness that does not suite, brashness that is not required, and anger that is not called for, swinging your sword almost blindly at your enemy. Yet you have a certain strategy as well-- you move so hastily and haphazardly that you give the enemy very little time to attack and almost always force it into the defensive."_ The samurai's words echoed in his head. He hadn't known the man, but he had come and watched when Inuyasha had fought once, and then had proceeded to lecture him on fighting techniques. Inuyasha had been tempted to kill him just to show him that he wasn't as stupid and reckless as the man seemed to think, but had resisted. It wouldn't be worth it, and he was still exhausted from his battle with the other demons.

That had happened a long time ago-- well before he met Kikyo-- and he was surprised he had remembered.

He remembered lots of things now.

Most things.

And it was strange.

Everyday was like an adventure he was unsure he wanted to be part of, wandering through the pieces of his mind and examining the parts of his life that he knew he was involved in, but still felt strangely detached from-- like they weren't his own, and he was seeing them from an outsiders point of view.

It was strange and confusing and he did not much like it.

What's more, Amaya had not come in several days and he was beginning to worry. He wanted to know if Kagome was alright-- especially now that he actually _remembered_ the girl and what she had meant to him.

A shadow spread, not just over his face, but over the lands before them, and Inuyasha frowned, glancing at Sesshomaru, before following his brother's example and turning his eyes toward the sky.

Some sort of large cloud appeared to have risen out of nowhere and was moving rapidly toward them.

Too rapidly.

And, though there was little wind today, it was still travelling rapidly against it.

Which could only mean that it wasn't a cloud at all.

'Come, Inuyasha.' Sesshomaru said, grabbing his wrist and yanking him away before he could get a better look at the strange "cloud", pulling him quickly-- almost too fast for Inuyasha to keep up-- back up and into the castle, shoving him blindly to the side as he shoved the door almost violently shut behind them.

Inuyasha frowned at his brother's actions, opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Sesshomaru, who let out an icy hiss of "Silence!" causing the words to die on Inuyasha's tongue.

He stared at his brother, who was staring with narrowed eyes at the door, not-quite frowning, and with an expression of deep contemplation on his face, and to Inuyasha it looked as though his brother might be listening for something.

So he closed his mouth, tilting his head slightly to the side to listen as well.

At first he heard nothing, and his frown returned and deepened.

Then the faint, almost inaudible but growing in volume with each passing moment, sound of insect wings beating rapidly against one another reached his ears, and Inuyasha was filled with a strange sense of familiarity, anger, and faint traces of fear.

And as the sound grew louder and the insects grew closer, the anger dulled and the familiarity became unimportant as his fear began to take over, and Inuyasha, unwittingly, began to shake from it.

He knew those wings.

The Saimyoushou.

Naraku's insects from hell.

The insects Naraku often used to torture him, letting them sting him repeatedly-- and not always using their poison, but sometimes just piercing his skin, biting him occasionally as well.

They were the one's to find him first whenever he had attempted escapes.

They were the one's who reported anything he did against Naraku's wishes.

They were the one's who had made certain that he had no sense of freedom whatsoever, made certain that every little thing he did was punished, made certain that he had no happiness or joy in his life-- nothing but pain... and the desire to serve his master.

As the Saimyoushou surrounded them and shadows began to fly past the covered windows, Inuyasha's legs decided that standing was no longer an option, and he sunk to the floor, still shaking violently, pressing against the wall, his ears flattening as that sound surrounded him-- nearly enough to drive him to the brink of insanity.

He heaved, dry, wracking sobs, but did not throw-up as the terror coursed through him like blood-- Naraku had found him, and would take him back and break him all over again, and the memories and darkness of his time with the demon began to surround him.

The fear radiating off of his brother was nearly enough to choke Sesshomaru, and he glanced over in confusion at Inuyasha, not knowing why his brother suddenly seemed so overcome by despair.

And Inuyasha began to sob, oblivious to him, driven completely by fear and despair.

A long, low whine, so full of sadness and despair and agony that no living creature should have been able to make it tore it's way from his throat, and Sesshomaru mentally cringed away from it, aghast that that noise was coming from his brother.

The insects were gone by now, and Sesshomaru rushed over to Inuyasha's side, trying to reach his brother through the oblivion he was surrounded in.

He had hoped Inuyasha would be ready for battle soon, but if those simple insects were enough to reduce his brother to this... _this_, then he could not imagine what an encounter with the dark demon himself would be like.

Slowly, he pulled Inuyasha away from the wall, drawing his brother against him, causing Inuyasha to let out another of those whines that sent shivers up Sesshomaru's spines, and began stroking his brother's hair, whispering soft, incoherent words to the distressed hanyou in his arms until Inuyasha finally quieted, laying still for several moments, before finally daring to open his eyes.

He was met with the dark and narrowed eyes of his brother-- though there was concern and not anger filling them, and Inuyasha snapped his eyes shut again. He didn't want to see Sesshomaru. He knew his brother probably thought him terribly weak-- it had simply been insects, insects that could no longer reach nor harm him-- yet he could not get passed the past, could not forget how much harm they had done, and he could not stop the terror or memories from taking over.

'Inuyasha.' Sesshomaru said quietly, and Inuyasha whined quietly, tears filling his eyes as more memories tried to surface-- as the fear of rejection began to take over him.

His clawed hand tightened on the shoulder fabric of his brother's kimono, and Inuyasha buried his face against Sesshomaru's chest, begging for the comfort only Sesshomaru could offer.

Sesshomaru was startled by the intimate gesture-- the sudden display of need and velnerableness, and stared in shock at Inuyasha, who was quivering and letting out small whimpers and whines into Sesshomaru's chest, silently begging his brother to let him know it was alright.

Sesshomaru frowned, and then slowly, gently, brought his arms up to wrap around the hanyou, one rubbing small circles on his back, the other gently resting on the top of his silver head.

Inuyasha tensed slightly, then let out another whine, burying deeper into Sesshomaru, and his brother let him for now, knowing somehow that Inuyasha needed this, and that his brother would be able to find it nowhere else.

He silently wondered when they had become so close that Inuyasha would even bother entertaining the thought of asking Sesshomaru for comfort, and then decided it didn't matter.

Inuyasha _had_ asked him from comfort-- not with words but with actions-- and right now Sesshomaru knew that he had to give it. Inuyasha needed it, and, in some ways, Sesshomaru thought that he might need it too. Even if it was from each other-- both of whom had never once dreamed that they would be in this position with one another before.

That didn't matter either, because they could go to nowhere else.

And, if they were entirely honest with themselves, they didn't want to.

END

A\N: Well I think my brain just exploded. Lol, that chapter was a bit longer than the last I think, but maybe not as interesting to some people. I don't know, I like Sess and Inu, they're my fav characters, so I like writing about them.

**SpEcIaL tHaNkS tO: Black Betty, Wish-full Thinker, Sexy Kat, RamblingPhilosopher **aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand **wolfygirl13 **-- They're the awesome reviewers from last chapter and the main motivation for this chapter!

CMoC - Toy Soldiers - The Last Stand ( -- I don't actually know the title or singer of this (The last stand isn't the singer I don't think) I came across this song by accident on WMP and it was labelled that so...), Kagome and Inuyasha - (Don't know who composed this...), Right here - Staind, Angels or Devils - Dishwalla ( -- This is a good song, people should check it out), Somewhere out there - Our Lady Peace, Fake Wings - (Umm... it's from the .Hack/Sign show, but I don't actually know who sings it), My will - Dream and Sotsugyou Sayonara wa Ashita no Tame ni (Graduation: Farewll is for Tomorrow) - Tackey and Tsubasa ( -- I still say this is an awesome song!)

Also, just thought I'd point out, my updates will likely remain a little slower for three reasons:

1. My computer's an ass.

2. The other site is coming back up next week, and I need to be ready to do some _major _updates there.

3. I am currently in production of another story for _this _site. I don't know when I'll get the first chapter up, but I really want to put some good hard effort into it. -- It's based on an idea that a lot of people keep _mentioning_, but I don't think anyone has actually _done_.

Anyway, those are the reasons, so you'll just have to be patient with me for a little while.


	47. Kikyo and Naraku

A\N: Okay, so, once again I am curious, so once again I'm gonna ask you guys. Feel free to ignore me if you like. I just want to know, which of the Inuyasha movies is your fav? One, two, three or (if you've seen it) four?

There's no real point behind this question other than that I am curious, and have never been one to ignore my curiosity.

Anyway, sorry this took so long, but I'm afraid to say updates probably will continue to be slow for a while yet. Other site re-opens on Wednesday, and I've got two stories over there I have to update, plus two stories I have to add, and mixing that up with all this other shit I've got going on... is exhausting and gonna take time, so please bear with me, kay?

-Clouds of the Sky - We don't?... Oh, no, right, of course we don't!...

-Black Betty - Lol, well I'm glad you have such faith in my writing abilities to think that I'd be able to make that work. However, if they don't meet, alas as you said, I will likely be murdered while I sleep before the story is able to finish.

-xolovexinuyasha - No, it's not by eminem. I don't listen to him. That one begins with the same beginning from Martika's toy soldiers though "step by step, heart to heart, etc..." The one I'm talking about goes something like "Loud knock on the door, wake me up with the fiercesome sounds of war, I've found my dream, feeling weak but my head just can't ignore, my hearts desire, my will to be free is on fire..." Hm. Think I got a little carried away, but... -- Lol, yeah, all computers are asses. My comps a windows 98 as well. I'm surprised anybody else in the world still has one of these old fossils. -- Well like I said, whatever works. I think crying is more of a release than anything else. A great big emotional release, and since everybody is so damn uptight nowadays, it's always good to have some form of release like that. However, I too don't find any reason to cry when I get hurt. Sometimes my eyes water or something, but I can't remember the last time I cried from a physical wound. -- Lol, I didn't think you were stalking me. And don't worry, I'm not part of a cult or Satan-worshipping group. I've just got a very angsty mind. Believe me, if you thought this story was bad, you should see some of my other ones. This story is light fluff in comparison. -- BTW-- don't worry about confusing me-- I'm usually in a state of confusion anyway.

-Wish-full Thinkers - Which songs? The Inuyasha ones? Or the others? Cause most of the songs I've got listed are either from WMP, the radio, or my C.D.'s. The Inuyasha one's I got from the internet though... But, no, unless you want the songs on the c.d.'s or the songs on the radio permanently, then you shouldn't have to buy them. -- Anyway, sorry if you thought Inu's reaction was a bit... melodramatic, but I'm just trying to point out how heavily effected he really was. Think about it-- He was kept locked up by his worst enemy, had all his memories wiped, was beaten, tortured in pretty much every physical and mental way other than sexually, was forced to inflict the same sort of hurts on other's, and then was kept as a pet by Naraku, only to then fall into the hands of Kikyo, and then his brother, and finally having it all start to come back in his mind, only to nearly be found by his enemy once again. I think it would be a very traumatizing experience, but you're right, maybe I did go a bit over the top. -- 10 miles? Well I have no idea. I just heard you say "1000 miles" or whatever, and immediately that song by the proclaimers popped into my head. -- Umm... I'm a little uninclined to tell you the other site and other story since they are not exactly appropriate for this site and I don't think you'd enjoy the content at all. Believe me, this story gestures at story is very light in comparison to my other, darker fics...

-sourapple10000 - Well, I hope you get your computer fixed soon-- I can't wait to see what happens next in your story.

-Box Queen - Arigato!

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, thanks "RP", I'm glad you're enjoying the chapter. I'm trying to lighten up on the fluff a little bit, but it's not working entirely well since this is the sort of healing part of the story. However, I thought maybe I'd break the chain (or at least distract from it a little bit) with this next chapter and one of our least fav characters. -- Yep, I was in a music listening mood. I always am. Music is the best!

-lunerfox - Lol, I'm glad you can enjoy them-- some people are getting bored with them though. :( Sorry to them, but they are necessary. Inuyasha can't just go to Sess's and drop off the face of the earth now can he? -- Anyway, I looked up that song by them, and you're right, it is good. A little slow for my tastes, but sometimes slow works. I think I've heard another song by this group though..."For you" or something like that. I don't know. I rarely know what I'm talking about-- it was probably an entirely different band. Anyway, don't worry, no matter how much (or little) sleep I get, I won't become that guy, I can promise you. Whatever I go about doing, I am going to do originally!

-rena555 - Well it's good to hear from you again. I understand-- things are getting a little hectic lately aren't they? Well, I don't mind if you don't review every chapter, just as long as you're still reading.

-Almandine-Azaleea - Yeesh. Everybody's a critic. Lol, yeah, that probably is what I meant. Sorry, between writing and typing them out and all the other stuff I have to do, I don't have a lot of time to edit my stories-- and before you say it, I can't stand having a beta.

-wolfygirl13 - Lol, wow, you must have really liked that last chapter if you were willing to give me that tongue-twister of a treat. -- And I'm glad you're re-reading it because you like it, not because it's so confusing you can't understand it on the first go.

-Sexy Kat - I've seen one or two episodes of "Gundam Seed" and, no offence, but it lost my interest pretty quickly. I don't know, I don't seem to have any set style that I like, I'll just flip on a channel, stop for a second (unless it's a soap opera ) and if the show catches my interest, then I might watch it. So far the only anime's I'm really watching on a regular basis are InuYasha, .hack/sign and Yu-Gi-Oh GX. They're the only one's that have really caught and held (which is quite a feat) my attention, even though I've seen little bits of some others.

-ultimate-romantic - Yeah, it is ooc, but it works . (at least, I think it does...) and yeah, you'll have to wait patiently, because I don't know how long it'll take Inu and Kag to reunite. A while yet, anyway.

-angelwinz21 - Aww, make me feel guilty why don't you: ( -- Lol, sorry, but that's just the way it has to be. I can't do _everything_ at once-- I'm not superman ya know? It just doesn't work that way. I'd have to be _perfect _if I was able to do all these things at once, and isn't Sesshomaru already filling out that role?

-Darking Queen - Lol, well I hope you can keep it up... still going to be slow going...

-Kitsama - I understand what you mean about Sess. A lot of people think he's OOC in this, and I agree, he is ooc in a sense, but not entirely in my mind. To me, he's just actually expressing what he might be originally feeling and hiding inside the way he normally does when he's a stoic block of ice. But I have many different views on how Sess should be portrayed, and this is just one of them. -- About the "Girly" comment you made, I have to laugh at that because the thought of Sesshomaru acting girly is just so... mortifyingly unreal you have to find it funny. Plus, it reminds of this one person's comment that they had a Sess "wall scroll" on their wall, and everybody would come up, stare at it for a moment, and then say "she's pretty." I don't know where everyone gets that idea, because while, yes, he does look a little more... feminine I guess than some of the other characters, he still doesn't look like a _girl_. And you notice, no one says anything like that about Kouga, despite the fact that _he_ wears a skirt. (Lol, just so you know, I have nothing against Kouga and actually like his character quite a bit-- even if he is annoying and useless sometimes)

-lusterstreak - Lol, well I never really gave it much consideration, but that's where all the big money is isn't it? (In Japan anyway) Still, I don't know if I'd be able to come up with a good story. I have to have other characters to build off of otherwise my own are completely stupid and unbelievable. Amaya only worked out because I could background her against some of the others. Anyway, I think I just put waaaaaaaaay too much thought into that, plus I've been ranting on for about half an hour now, so I think I better shut up and let you guys have the chapter.

(BTW -- This chapter would probably fit in better between the last two chapters, but I didn't think of writing it until now, so...)

Kikyo and Naraku

Kikyo landed hastily but still with grace, letting the soul collectors release her body as she moved silently through the weaving passages of Naraku's castle.

She did not have youkai senses and so had not know how long Inuyasha had been missing-- only that he was indeed gone. And, though she knew not how he had done it, she knew of only one person capable of breaking through her barrier at this point in time. One person who had enough desire to do so.

But when she had sent her servants here to find Inuyasha again, they had been unable to locate the hanyou, therefore Kikyo had come to the conclusion that Naraku had hidden him away to try and lure her out.

And she had decided to take the bait.

She paused outside the sliding door of one room as she was overcome by a particularly powerful demonic aura, and she reached her hand up and pulled aside the door, revealing the dark room and the nearly complete Shikon no Tama.

It was black, with a faint purple aura around it, and several small shards were missing, but they were clearly not missed by Naraku-- he obviously knew where each and every one of them were and was not concerned at the moment with getting them back.

'Ah, Kikyo. I wondered when you would come.' Naraku said quietly, his crimson eyes moving toward her as she stared coldly down at him.

'Do you spend all your time wondering when and where I will next show myself to you?' She asked taking another step into the room, purifying the barrier set up all around and throughout the castle to keep intruders like her out. She gave a small, humourless smirk. 'Your barriers are easy enough to break, as they were when my servants first came for Inuyasha. Have you not been trying to keep me out?' She asked, as Naraku continued to watch her with something akin to loathing. But now something new flickered there, something too fast for her to catch.

'And why are you here again, Kikyo? You have your "beloved" with you now, and I had not thought one such as yourself would stoop so low as to gloat.' Kikyo's eyes narrowed slightly.

'Save your games, Naraku, I care very little for them.' Naraku stared at her and raised a dark eyebrow.

'Games? Kikyo, what makes you think I would play games with you?' Kikyo narrowed her eyes.

'You know of what it is I speak, Naraku, so do not pretend that you do not.' Naraku continued staring at her with an expression of morbid curiosity on his face, and her own eyes narrowed further. 'Where is Inuyasha, Naraku?'

Naraku blinked at her words, and then took a moment to absorb them. So Kikyo had lost Inuyasha had she? And she thought that he had him... A smirk spread across Naraku's lip at the thought-- this would certainly be a good way to manipulate the priestess.

Kikyo's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Naraku's reaction. She had seen the flash of surprise in the half-demon's eyes when she had asked where Inuyasha was, and now, seeing the other emotions play on his face, it led her to only one conclusion: Naraku did not have Inuyasha.

'So' she said, breaking the hanyou out of his silent reverie and drawing his crimson eyes back to her face as she smirked down at him. 'You do not know where he is either.' Naraku's face darkened slightly at her words, and he did not even bother to deny them. Kikyo was strong and very keen, she would not be manipulated by mere words alone and would not come to believe anything he said now concerning Inuyasha's whereabouts. It would do no good to try and lie to her, yet neither would it do any good to tell the truth, so he simply remained silent, waiting for her to talk.

'That's bad for you, indeed, Naraku. If I remember correctly, he had three jewel shards in his neck. And now he's with someone else. Do you think that you'll ever get them back? Do you think you'll ever get him back?'

'Do you think you will?' Naraku countered, and Kikyo faltered slightly as the half-demon stared calmly up at her. 'You surely must be able to feel it-- the half-breed does not love you anymore. Tell me, when you embrace him, does he cringe from your touch? From the coldness of your skin?' He smirked as Kikyo's own face took its turn to darken, and then said, in an almost conspiratorial way 'he does not love you, and he will not willingly go back to you. The effects of the memory charm I place upon him will weaken with distance. For all we know he could well be more than three hundred leagues from here-- at that distance the spell will likely have completely broken. Do you think that, when he remembers all that has happened, he will ever want to live with you or love you?'

Kikyo straightened slightly and smirked. 'You are not as cunning as you seem to think, Naraku. I do not want Inuyasha to forget, and neither do I want him to live. I want him to remember me in time, in a way of my choosing, and when he does, then I will take him down to hell with me so we can truly be together at last.'

Naraku raised an eyebrow, but Kikyo continued talking. 'And since you do not have him here, you are, once again, of absolutely no use to me, Naraku.' She said, walking swiftly toward the door. 'And, in all your carefully cunning words, you forgot one thing.' And at this she offered him a smirk over her shoulder. 'You also have no idea where he is. And he will not return to you either.'

And then, as quickly as she had come, the miko was gone, disappearing down the halls as Naraku stared back at her. But his face was not the dark mask it should have been at her words. It was cold, yes, but there was an almost arrogant sort of fire burning in the hanyou's eyes as he watched the soul collectors soar about through the window.

'_And you forget one thing, Kikyo.' _He thought as he watched them swoop down to wrap around the red, white and black figure that was the priestess. '_A person may follow another into the depths of hell, but they cannot share it with them.' _A small smirk spread across his lips. '_Whether you convince your hanyou to go into hell with you or not does not matter. Either way, the two of you will never again be together.' _

END

A\N: Well, I don't know how to handle the interactions between these two very well, so I hope they weren't too OOC. Quite personally, I don't really care if I ruined Kikyo's character, but I don't want to mess up Naraku's. I don't know why, but I kinda like him.

Anyway, now to the most important part of the story:

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: Clouds of the Sky, Black Betty, xolovexinuyasha**, **Wish-full Thinker**, **sourapple10000**, **Box Queen**, **RamblingPhilosopher**, **lunerfox**, **rena555**, **Almandine-Azaleea**, **wolfygirl13**, **Sexy Kat**, **ultimateromantic**, **angelwingz21**, **Darking Queen**, **Kitsama**, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand **lusterstreak.**

stares at list a moment Yep, I think that's everyone... Yeesh... that's a long list... I don't think I have enough cookies for you all... (psst... umm, hey, wolfygirl, a little help here...)

CMoC - I Write Sins, Not Tragedies - Panic! At the disco ( -- This song has a couple "bad words" in it, but if you can get past them, it's definitely worth checking out. I don't know it's got a fun and catchy feel to it. ), Every other time - LFO, Silhouettes - Smile Empty Soul, Yura Yura - Every Little Thing, Tubthumping - Chumbawamba(sp?), Toy Soldiers - Martika, Perfect - Simple Plan, and Don't Stop Dancing - Creed


	48. Ready or Not

A\N: Hey everybody, I had some free time (not really, but lets pretend okay?) so I managed to squeeze out another chapter. I think it's one of the longer ones, but not the longest...

Anyway, lots of reviews to answer, so lets get cracking!

Clouds of the Sky - Well I'm certainly glad to know you will tolerate it. I don't know what would happen if you couldn't... after all, I can only write as fast as I can write... Still, I try to make up for it by updating fast. Lately I haven't been doing that that much though, have I... : ( -- Anyway, I don't think I'm controlling your mind... maybe Amaya is though... She is kinda suspicious sometimes, and rarely does what I want her to, so you never know... Lol, and about being a loser, don't worry, secretly I think that we all are. I am, but not secretly. As the saying goes "I was uncool before uncool was cool."

--angelwinz21 - YOU'RE VERY WELCOME!

-xolovexinuyasha - Yeah, I get the feeling sometimes too. But usually I more... contemplate things silently than actually cry. It's weird and my mom thinks there might be something wrong with me because I don't usually cry and when I do I don't do it in front of other people... :'(... I'm just not a crier. -- Lol, yeah number one was okay. Some of it was too over-done though in my opinion and that made it a little corny, but I still enjoyed it. Number two, him shaking like a dog ( -- I loved that! ) and getting caught in the photobooth and hitting Miroku over the head instead of Sango were some of the only things I liked. I just found that they over dramatized everything in the movie and I found it fairly confusing at times. Plus, Shippo really has got to stop doing that "I'm just a kid, why do I have to go?" routine. I want to rip his throat out everytime he does. I agree, the kiss was sweet, but again, over dramatized in my mind. And she wasn't even kissing his lips anyway, she was kissing his teeth. My fav so far (since I haven't seen the fourth movie) would definitely be the third. They had a plot there that you could understand and there were fun bits without being overdone, and they gave us a bit more of a look into Sess's past and his feelings toward his father. I enjoyed that a lot! (although they did overstress the "I have someone to protect" bit, and I nearly cracked up laughing when Inuyasha went completely ooc with that one big word he used... what was it? Exponentially! Come on people, do you really think he'd say _that_!) So yeah, I agree with you on one and three. Woosh! That was a long one, neh? I really shouldn't ask people things like what their favs are, because then I feel the need to go all out and explain what I like or don't like and why. 

-Luner fox - Blink. Blink o.o -- Okay, first of all, do I even want to know _why_ you were looking up salad fingers? Second of all... oO... that's really all I can say to that... -- And I'll be sure to check out that song, but I don't got the time right now... busy busy busy trying to pound Salad fingers out of my brain.

-Kitsama - My thoughts exactly. 1 was a fairly good one, it was adequet enough to say the least (though a little corny sometimes). 2... it had potential, there were some funny parts, but they filled it up with too much unnecessary things in a plot that was very twisted and struggled to work and just basically made it hard to sit through, and 3 was damn good! The best out of those ones! I can't say about four though, since I haven't seen it yet. -- Lol, well here is my next update, but the one after this will probably come slower... sorry, just the way things have to be. -- BTW, yeah, you're right, it's a very fair trade.

-Black Betty - Lol, like there wasn't enough between them before, but then somebody has to let _me_ have a turn to make them jump down one another's throats...

-Bluer Sky - Well that's fine, I won't kill you. So long as you won't kill me for not making the chapters longer. It's just not something I can garuntee, ya know? I've got a trilogy on a diff site that started out as a one-shot, then got two sequels, and then the last sequel got three chapters. The first two were the same length, probably 5 pages or something. The last one was something closer to eight. I simply try and put in as much as I can into any given chapter while trying to go about doing the myriad of other things I currently need to get done. It's a lot of work sometimes, and makes it hard to write long chapters.

-Wish-full Thinkier - Lol, well that's okay. The second movie did have some funny parts, but it was the worst of the three that I've seen. At least in my opinion (which seems to be shared by a few other people). Anyway, you absolutely _have_ to see the third movie. It's completely awesome, way better than the second. Plus, you'll get a bit more info on Sesshomaru's relationship with his dad (yep, he's actually in this movie for more than a couple frames or the credits) and find out how Inu Taisho got killed and all that. Totally worth seeing. -- Lol, that's weird, I'm the exact opposite. I've tried reading the manga before, but I find it impossible to sit still in a library and read, and, since I don't know if I'll be able to get into them, I don't want to but them. I love books and mangas, but I just have a hard time getting into them, and find the tv series and movies to be much more indulging. It certainly has much more effect when Kagome yells "SIT!" so you can actually hear it, and then get to see Inuyasha plummit face-first into the ground. But whatever works best for you, neh? I personally haven't seen every episode of the series, but that doesn't really matter because, in the end, you're going to be the one with all the info since they stopped making them. The manga continues, but I think they're done with the tv series, and they give it a lame ending. But maybe I don't know what I'm talking about (no surprise there). -- Anyway, when I say Darker fics, I mean **_Darker _**fics. Violence barely even registers under my definition of "Darker." Does that help you at all? Believe me, you don't want to see what my sadistic little mind has come up with. Just stay in this part of the woods where it's safe, and you won't meet the monsters from the shadows of my mind. However, I am currently writing a story that will be posted up here... in a few weeks maybe. It's got a plot that seems to have been thought up numerous times, but everybody seems to be too afraid to write about, so hopefully I'll do a good job. -- And thanks, I thought they were a little out of it, but if everyone else likes them, then what does it matter? I'm writing this story for you guys, not me.

-Almandine-Azaleea - Oh, you didn't insult me! At least... I don't think you did. Lol, maybe I worded myself wrong! Sarcasm and things like that don't work nearly as well if you can't add a voice tone to them, and since I use sarcasm and humour in almost every sentence I write... well, it puts a bit of strain on what I'm trying to get across. -- Anyway, thanks a whole bunch, I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! I guess Kikyo and Naraku were not as ooc as I thought. I'll try and see if I can find that song sometime when I have more time, but right now I've got lots of things to do and I should really be getting them done. I guess you guys are just too good to resist!

-wolfygirl13 - Yeah, I've been hearing that alot! I guess I write Kikyo and Naraku better than I thought. -- Thank you so much! How very generous of you!... at this point, I might say pocky or cookies for you, but I'm not sure what purpose that would serve, seeing as you already seem to have a never-ending supply of it... Hm... How 'bout some ramen instead? -- Yep, Caffeine is wonderful. You gotta have it! (at least if you're living on my sleeping schedule you do)!

_---There's too much blood in my caffeine system--- _(Don't know who said it, but they were pretty smart, neh?)

-Jtmscola - Lol, well I look forward to hearing from you until Kingdom of Hearts comes out. I'm glad so many new people are enjoying this story so much!

-Sexy Kat - Thanks! I'm glad you thought so!

-Box Queen - I didn't notice bad graphics in 1 (but maybe I wasn't looking) and I haven't seen 4 yet so... I can't watch it in japanese because I always want to laugh when I hear them talk. I know, I know, it's bad, but it's not a personal thing. It happens with most foreign languages. I thought two was only okay, the plot needed some major work done. All in all, 3 is definitely my fav so far.

AhHA! I just realised why WMP wasn't working! It wasn't really not working, so much as I simply left the volume so low down that I couldn't hear it! Well, I guess that's reason enough to warn you guys-- incompetence could very well be contagious, so if you don't want to risk catching it, just back away slowly... the insanity is already spreading.

Lol, okay, I'll leave you guys alone to the story now!

Ready or Not

Amaya frowned at Sesshomaru and then looked over at Inuyasha, who was sitting a little ways away with Kohaku and Rin who, for once, seemed content to keep her silence and her stillness, though the sorceress often caught the little ningen sneaking glances over at her with a mix of amazement and curiosity.

'So you're saying all that came from the Saimyoushou?' She asked quietly, then gave a small snort. 'Why am I not surprised?'

Sesshomaru inwardly tensed, unsure what the sorceress meant by that, and cocked an eyebrow and Amaya returned the gesture to him before saying 'Do not be so bold as to assume you understand anything I have said in the past, Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands.' She said, though the title was really more there for appearances than actual respect. 'I am not even speaking of your little brother whom you seem to have grown awfully fond of considering you at first wanted nothing to do with him. I simply meant that it is not surprising that Naraku would send Saimyoushou to swarm the lands in search of his precious half-demon. The only reason he would do so, however, is if he knew now that Kikyo no longer holds Inuyasha in her grasp. Which means that the witch hunt has begun.'

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha (who could clearly hear from this distance) looked over at her, Sesshomaru's eyes holding nothing but ice, while Inuyasha's seemed slightly grim and fearful.

Amaya ignored this for the moment, turning her eyes to the sky where a thin layer of purple miasma was beginning to spread.

'The time is come.' She said quietly. 'When that miasma covers the skies and blocks out the sun Naraku will attack and purge the lands once again. He will centre his forces here first, I imagine, for you are his strongest enemy, Sesshomaru.' She turned her eyes back to the demon brothers. 'We must be ready for him when he attacks.'

Inuyasha had, by now, gotten up and come to join them, leaving Kohaku and Rin to wait curiously behind him as he stared up at the miasma.

'How long do we have?' He asked quietly, and Amaya focused her gaze on him. 'Little more than a week, perhaps less. In that time I want you, Inuyasha, to stay hidden. We cannot let you fall into Naraku's grasp again or heaven knows what hell will break loose. And Sesshomaru' she said, turning her dark gaze to the youkai 'You should begin to gather whatever alliances you may have-- send word to them, ask them to help... and make sure they know the consequences if they do not.'

'That sounds like a threat.' Sesshomaru said with a small hint of humour in his voice that slightly surprised Amaya. Things had definitely changed with the inu since Inuyasha had been around. He was actually beginning to show _emotion_.

'It should because it is.' Amaya said 'though not, necessarily, the type of threat that you speak of. It is a threat on their lives and lands, but not from us. Should they refuse to help, and, assuming that we win, they will likely loose our trust and alliance. Should we loose, whether they help or not, they will end up slaughtered by Naraku.'

She noticed the slight shudder that ran through Inuyasha at that name, and she looked at him grimly but calmly. 'Do not feel fear just yet puppy. Naraku does not plan to kill you, I am certain, and, while your fate may not be pleasant if we loose this, you will live to see another dawn.' She looked up at the miasma again and gestured with one of her hands toward it 'Even this shadow must come to pass. Darkness cannot last forever, and neither can light. They must exist in harmony since neither will bend or break under the other's will.' She looked at Inuyasha again. 'Dark has had it's turn, and now the light must return in order to maintain that balance, or we should all slide into the abyss.'

She then turned back toward Sesshomaru, who had watched their small exchange impassively, yet was slightly surprised at the easy way the woman could weave her words to make them seem so utterly... believable. Inuyasha had not, necessarily, "perked up" as the saying goes, but the fear was barely lingering in him now, replaced instead by grim and cold determination. It was a startling change, but good nonetheless, and it would prove useful to Inuyasha if he used that determination in battle.

'Now, Lord Sesshomaru, I am sure you know that there are prisoners in Naraku's castle-- Inuyasha's friends included. I have developed a plan to get some of them out, but I have to first ask if you'd be willing to harbour more fugitives here with you. I know you stated that you weren't running an orphanage, but I promise you, one way or the other, they will not be staying here very long. Death or freedom will come to adopt them soon enough.'

Sesshomaru stared coldly at her and she stared back, no longer hesitating to meet his eyes. Inuyasha looked between the two nervously, his clawed hand coming to rest on his brother's shoulder as he said quietly, anxiously 'Sesshomaru?'

His brother cast him a glance, cold, clearly telling him to back down and that he was wrong for interfering, but Inuyasha ignored it, staring pleadingly back at him. After all, if Amaya couldn't bring them here, then where the hell could they go?

After a moment of pointless staring, Sesshomaru let out a small sigh of defeat before turning to walk away.

Inuyasha's face brightened slightly but Amaya only cocked an eyebrow in confusion. 'You seemed pleased with that exchange from your brother.' She stated quietly. 'Does that mean he has answered?'

Inuyasha turned toward her again, his eyes soft and holding an odd sort of exasperated fondness in them that could only be directed at Sesshomaru. It was surprising, once again, how close they had become-- how easily they read one another's emotions. But it could only serve her purpose for the better.

'Yeah' Inuyasha said quietly. 'He'll let them stay here.' Amaya could hear the same fondness in his eyes reflect in his voice, and she smirked at the half-demon, who frowned at her in response. 'What?' He asked, and she gave a small shrug.

'When I brought you here I only was seeking your protection.' She said 'but now I see that you have also gained something that I think neither of us could have ever before perceived.'

His brow furrowed in confusion and his ears twitched back slightly. 'What's that?' He asked, and her smiled grew larger but softer at the same time as she reached up and gently stroked one of his ears with the back of her hand, causing it to flatten further away from her in agitation.

'A brother, puppy.' She said quietly. 'A brother.'

And Inuyasha stared at her in open shock for a moment and then looked back after Sesshomaru, who was, by now, far out of sight.

He felt the familiar burst of wind against his cheek and when he looked back Amaya was already rising into the sky, giving off a familiar shriek as she soared off in the direction of the miasma, her feathers glinting in the sun and seeming to glow against the miasma.

'_Darkness and light.'_ He thought as he watched her disappear, before his attention focus on the inky black depths that made up the centre of the miasma. "_Little more than a week-- perhaps less." _The sorceress's voice rang in his head. '_Is that enough time?' _He wondered. '_Will we be ready when Naraku attacks? And, if Sesshomaru calls for help, will anyone come?' _

He sighed and shook his head. '_Doesn't really matter anymore, does it? We're going into battle, ready or not.' _He looked back up at the miasma. '_But it would be nice if we were ready.' _

"_But now I see that you have also gained something that I think neither of us could have ever before perceived."_

Inuyasha pondered this a moment. '_Its true. I never thought Sesshomaru would care about me, or that we would grow close, but we have, haven't we?' _He felt a strange warmth spread through him at the thought, but then the warmth turned to ice as he realised something. '_If I get captured again by Naraku that'll make it even worse-- I'll have to give up Kagome and the other's all over again, but I'll also have to give up Sesshomaru...' _

'_Then don't get captured.' _Another voice inside of him argued. '_You've been training and have been taught now by the best fighter you've ever known. Why should you get captured again?' _

'_It's not as easy as that!' _He snarled back at his mind. '_Maybe I am stronger, but so is Naraku. If he beat me last time he can do it again. Sheer will alone can't get me through this.' _

'_Maybe not.' _His mind said in a tone that reminded him of Amaya '_but it can put up enough of a fight to buy you time until you **do **get through this.' _

Inuyasha sighed, both mentally and physically, and then snarled 'I'm not having this argument with you!' Not realising he had said it out loud until he heard a voice from somewhere to his right say 'That's good to know, little brother, because it seems you've already got a head start on me.'

Inuyasha let out a small gasp of surprise and whirled to face Sesshomaru, who was standing there, looking more cocky than usual after catching the hanyou talking to himself.

Inuyasha started to snarl, paused, seemed to rethink it, and just sighed instead, shoulders slumping slightly. 'Well I'm not having _this_ argument with _you_ either.' He said before moving to storm past his brother, only to meet one of Sesshomaru's hands on his chest.

'Not that way, little brother.' He said when Inuyasha turned angry and confused eyes on him. 'You remember the Saimyoushou-- your sorceress's words-- you have to stay hidden. Go to the castle.'

Inuyasha glared angrily at Sesshomaru, hating how he sounded as though he were talking to a misbehaving child, before huffing angrily, letting out a low 'Feh!' When Sesshomaru refused to back down.

'_Dammit all, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to forget the bastard if he's going to treat me like a child!' _He thought angrily and then immediately recoiled from the thought. '_He's just worried about me. He's trying to keep me safe from Naraku. The least I can do is make it a bit easier on him.' _

So, keeping that in mind, Inuyasha swallowed his anger and pride and turned on his heel to head toward the castle, not letting out another complaint, revelling in the momentarily startled and then pleased expression of his brother's face.

'_Alright, Sesshomaru, you win for now.' _He thought quietly as his brother moved to collect Kohaku and Rin as well. '_Once this is all over though, you're going to pay!' _But that threat was half-hearted at best and he could hear the lie in it. Still, it was nice to pretend, and it made obeying his brother's orders that much easier to cope with.

**ARIGATO: Clouds of the Sky, angelwinz21, xolovexinuyasha, lunerfox, Kitsama, Black Betty, Forever To Be Me, Bluer Sky, Wish-full Thinker, Almandine-Azaleea, wolfygirl13, Sexy Kat Jtmscola **aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand **Box** **Queen**.

They're the awesome reviewers from last chapter, and the reason this one's up so quickly!

Pocky and cookies to all of you, compliments of **wolfygirl13**!

CMoC - For You - Smile Empty Soul (For some reason this seems like a good song for Inu to dedicate to Kikyo... but don't let that discourage you from listening to it!), Alone in the Universe - David Usher, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous - Good Charlotte, First time - Finger Eleven, Wires - Athlete and I write Sins, not Tragedies - Panic! At the Disco


	49. Fire and Trust

A\N: This chapter was came out nothing like what I wanted or expected. It was _supposed _to focus on Amaya a bit and maybe Miroku, but instead it went in the direction of two entirely new characters! Thus the plot is thickening even more against my will, and I really gotta stop this, cause I've already got so many things to deal with in this story... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Takes a deep breath

Okay, I'm better now.

I'm updating much faster than I anticipated though, so that's always a good thing.

-Black Betty - Yeah... things _were_ starting to get underway... which would explain why my mind decided it was time for two new characters! I guess it just doesn't like the idea of this story ever coming to an end... sighs

-xolovexinuyasha - yeah. Cute. Completely OOC, but cute. --Lol, I am the exact same way with ranting about one subject. I understand what you're saying about crying, although I have to say I didn't cry at my grandma's funeral. It wasn't that I didn't like her I just... didn't cry. Don't know why, just didn't feel like it. -- I do use MSN IM, but I get so backlogged with shit that I rarely get on it. I haven't logged on in a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time.

-angelwingz21 - That's a good question. I can't really say at this point, but I gotta tell ya, after all I've gone and put him through, I highly doubt he'll ever be the same hanyou we knew. Maybe similar, but not the same.

-Wish-full Thinker - Well it's for your own good! Believe me! Some people thought this fic was dark, and I half-considered sending them some of my other work. That'd probably traumitize them for life! Lol, nope, lets keep you free from that for now. -- Yes, every once in a while it is helpful if the sorceress who is running around doing everything comes off as wise. It just seems like a good idea to have her having powers as well as brains. -- I didn't say I didn't like the manga, I said I've never read it. I can't sit still in a library and read, and I have no idea if I'll be able to get into the manga, so I don't want to spend a bunch of money on it. I prefer the TV show anyway. I don't know why, I just do. Maybe it's cause I like to see them "moving" around and hear them talking. Although, in the japanese version, Sesshomaru always sounds really angry, which seems OOC for me. Then again, all the guys sound angry, and all the girls sound really high-pitched and squeaky. Hm. Okay, that sounded mean, but I wasn't trying to be. It just seems kinda weird to me when I compare it to the english version, as I'm sure the english version sounds weird when they hear it.

-Bluer Sky - Yeah, sorry, I'll try and stop that... JJ

-wolfygirl13 - Lol, I'm glad you're enjoying it! And thanks once again for the treats! I'm sure everyone appreciates it! -- Don't worry, I ramble just as much (if not more) than you do, and I don't mind if you ramble back! --Hm. You're low on caffeine? Or high? Well, normally, for the first one, I might prescribe something like a gigantic coffee or glass of coke, but since there's a risk you might be high on it, I'm really not sure what to give you. How bout a mars bar? Do you think that'd help? Oh wait, but you just bought the chocolate factory... man, you're a hard person to buy for, you know that?

-Forever To Be Me - Lol, well I'm not sure about Kagome and Inuyasha, but I'm definitely gonna start bringing some of the other characters together soon. Real soon. It's just a bit more difficult with Kagome because my mind doesn't seem to think bringing her to Inuyasha would be that good of an idea. Or something. -- I talk with 'these' instead of "these" for one because it's one of the ways I was taught to write speech, for another, whenever I see "these" it makes me think that someone is quoting someone else and makes it a little irritating for me, and for a third, I just like this way better. I'm sorry if it bothers you, though I have seen this style done before in a couple of books. The other way is much more popular, but i have to still with this one. It could be worse though, I've seen people who go like this:

- when they want to indicate someone talking.

It gets a little annoying after a while to say the least.

-Almandine-Azaleea - I have not problem conveying it in real life! Well, that's not true, I use sarcasm so often, that people actually have a hard time telling whether I'm being sarcastic or not. But that's hardly the same thing.

-lunerfox - Lol, well I had to be sure. Now I'm curious how your friend came across that... Lol! -- Well, I'll try to make some time to look at those things a little later, but I've got a major backlog in school, family, emails, friends and stories, so It might take me a while... plus, after seeing the last one, I'm a little scared what I might find... oo

-Darking Queen - Lol, yep, pocking for _everyone_! Except Kikyo. She's a bitch! --Lol, yeah, they're changing a bit, but I never planned on having the dependance thing carry on for _too _long. It was just a stage of the healing. And, while Inuyasha certainly still slightly dependant on his older brother, he's definitely improving neh? Especially once he has his friend nearby again.

-Kuroi - Yeah, you really better get to bed! If your eyes start to bleed, how are you ever gonna read the rest of the story? -- Lol, you are more than welcome, and thanks for all the awesome reviews and support the past however-many-chapters!

-Box Queen - Arigato!

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, yep, I like to add enough darkness to my stories to make either option open-- the hero's _could _loose once again. --- Now wait just a minute! How can I be the weakest link? I'm the author! If I'm the weakest link, then how can I carry on the story? Lol, I don't mind if you're a little (just a little) hyper, so long as you don't mind that I'm a little (just a little) insane. Though, then again, you've managed to survive through it thus far... And thank wolfygirl13 for the pocky-- she seems to be my never-ending supply of candy lately.

-RamblingPhilosopher - It wasn't letting you review before? -- Lol, maybe, but isn't Amaya _always _up to something? -- Madonna? ICK! EW! UGH! BLECK! ... Lol, in other, more coherent words, I don't much like her.

-sourapple10000 - Thanks! Hope you get the chance to update yours soon as well!

-AidynFire - Well I'm glad you found your way back-- the face of the earth is a very dangerous place to fall off of, after all. -- Lol, I'm glad you enjoy their relationship and Amaya's complexities so much-- In truth, I didn't think either were gonna work, but apparently I was wrong... -- Everybody is anxiously awaiting when Naraku's ass gets kicked, but seriously, does anybody truly believe there is a way for him to die? I mean, he's just like Kikyo, only, instead of dying and coming back, he simply won't _die _at all! Not even when everyone thinks he's dead! Not that I mind. I kinda like Naraku, actually. For a villain, anyway.

-Inume-blue - I'm glad you like it so much! If you want me to let you know, I can send you a PM or something, but you know you can get the same results just by adding this story to your alert list? Just a thought, I don't mind either way. -- For now, I'll just send you a PM.

Haven't done this in a while, so, just to be on the safe side:

**I DON'T OWN INUYASHA OR ANY OF THE OTHER CHARACTERS FROM OR ASSOCIATED WITH THE ANIME\MANGA\MOVIES AND MAKE NO MONEY OFF OF THEM. **All the OC's are mine though, so I do lay claim to them, but again I make no money off of them. This applies to the entirety of the story.

Well, that's it for now-- Hope everyone enjoys this chapter despite the confusion of it...

Fire and Trust

Amaya bit her lip in agitation.

Something wasn't right.

This was going _way_ to easy.

Then again, getting Kohaku out had been easy enough as well, she supposed, so why should this be any different?

Still, she didn't like it.

Naraku was cunning usually-- he should have had _some_ sort of security besides the bumbling idiot demon guards.

Pulling the dark cloak more tightly about her, she carefully hoisted the monk into a more convenient position in her grasp (thankful once again that her powers offered her not only mental but physical strength as well, because the guy was not nearly as light as Kohaku had been) she slipped out through the courtyard and off toward the rocky outcrops of cliffs that surrounded the castle.

Miroku let out a weak grunt and Amaya narrowed her eyes sharply at him (not that he could see it, since she had placed a sleeping spell upon him to ease the pain that would come with the movement).

She frowned as she blinked against the darkness of the surrounding night that even her eyes couldn't pierce and lowered the hood of her cloak, brushing back one of the sleeves so she could draw out her tiny charm of light around her neck that would allow her to actually _see_ where in all the seven hells she was.

They were hidden by cliffs now, but Amaya did not allow the light to shine too brightly-- they were still too close to Naraku's castle to risk it, and she did not want to be caught like this (although, thanks to the cloak, to any outside whom might have seen her, she looked like nothing more than a head and a hand surrounded by a sphere of light in the night).

She heard the small grunting noise to her left, and spun quickly around to face it (a difficult task while still carrying Miroku) before letting out a slightly annoyed but relieved sigh when she spotted the two-headed dragon that was Ah-Un.

Sesshomaru was already proving himself useful in the battle by letting her use Ah-Un since the horse youkai could not always be present-- the stallion had to protect his herd after all, not to mention trying to rally some of the other herds from farther away that would no doubt prove useful in upcoming battles.

'_A battle can be won or lost-- it all depends on who is fighting it and how they plan to win.' _Her old sensei's voice rang in her head, and she snorted even though she knew the wisdom in the words.

If two armies of equal strength and number face one another off, one could easily be put at a great disadvantage if the other had even only a few mounts while they had none.

And, since horse-youkai rarely let themselves be rid, chances are Naraku would have to use regular horses instead (or jewel shards). But then again, Naraku would probably recruit things like winged-dragons as steeds instead, so that hardly mattered.

Quickly she made her way over to the two headed dragon, sliding her cloak of invisibility off as she eased Miroku up onto the dragon's back, letting it fall to the ground in a whisper like a silken shadow where it all but disappeared into the night.

Un turned to look at her and Miroku and let out a small groaning noise.

'That's all there is for now.' She said, slowly beginning to understand the youkai's strange tongue. 'I will have to get the other's out sometime later.'

'_Does that mean that we can go?'_ A female horse youkai with large sapphire eyes and a black coat with (of all things) a blue mane and tail asked as she stepped forth from the shadows. Amaya had encountered her a few times on her visits to the fire-youkai herd and had come to the conclusion that she was one of the highest ranked females of the group.

'_Not yet, Kazkaen._' She thought back to the youkai a slightly smaller stallion youkai stepped up behind her, his coat as well a black midnight, but his mane and tail were deep orange and his eyes shined red like Kagura's.

'_How long until we can leave?' _He asked, his tone not unlike that that Inuyasha's sometimes took on and Amaya cocked an eyebrow at him. '_I still have to fetch the small neko and kitsune, and then you can take them to Lord Sesshomaru. However, I'm afraid I will need both of you, sine I plan to visit the Lord as well.' _

The two looked at each other, their breath hot enough to fog even on this fairly warm night, speaking to one another in their own language that Amaya did not understand.

By the looks of things, the young stallion was not happy with what the mare was saying.

Shaking his mane in agitation, the stallion put his ears back and drew away from the mare, whose mane glowed slightly brighter in annoyance as she turned to look back at Amaya.

'_You'll have to forgive my son-- he is more than a little impatient sometimes.' _

Amaya cocked an eyebrow. '_He is your son?' _She asked, and Kazkaen shook her mane in assent. Amaya frowned and looked after the stallion, who was currently hiding somewhere in the shadows where she could not see him.

'_But I thought you were mate to the lead stallion.' _She said, turning back toward Kazkaen. '_He looks nothing like him.' _

Kazkaen snorted. '_I am mate to no one. Gouka is a fine leader, but I have already had a mate in my life and I shall not take one again.'_

Amaya frowned at her. '_I was not aware that horses mated for life.' _She said.

Kazkaen snorted again. '_Normal horses don't always. But most youkai, no matter the breed, take on mates for life. We are one of those youkai. However, after Arron was born his father was killed. I shall not mate again.' _

Amaya, after taking a minute and figuring out that Arron must be the young stallion looming somewhere behind his mother, asked the only question that really remained unanswered, not entirely sure why she was so curios in the first place.

'_Who was your mate?' _

Kazkaen lifted her head slightly, her presence taking on a slightly haughty air as she flicked her tail and proudly said '_His name was Araji.' _

Amaya's eyes instantly widened in surprise. '_**The **Araji?' _She asked '_The horse youkai that defeated the serpent-youkai Lord?' _She asked. After all, it could be wrong. There were a few horse youkai named Araji. However, the one she spoke of was far stronger than those ones, and was usually dubbed Kaji no Koden by all who spoke of him.

And, of course, it was an ancient tale of the fire youkai that had taken on the mighty snake demon and destroyed him-- the youkai that had set the very clouds afire when he raced through the skies, and who had mysteriously disappeared several years ago. The one who Naraku had raved about his powers repeatedly and spoke of exactly how useful such a youkai could be to him.

'_The very same.' _Kazkaen said proudly, lifting her head even higher, her eyes sparkling like emerald flames. '_Unfortunately he is dead now, but he was strong in his time and produced a strong son to carry on his legend.' _She said, gesturing back toward her son.

Amaya frowned as something (presumably Arron) shifted in the shadows, and stared at the ground thoughtfully for a moment.

However, Ah and Un were growing impatient, and they grunted next to her, jolting her back from her thoughts.

Nodding her head to them that they could leave, they watched the two-headed reptile haul back and the shoot off into the air, leaving small imprints in the ground where his feet and pushed in when he had taken off.

Amaya watched him out of sight before turning back toward the youkai, her face reverting back to serious once again.

'I must go.' She said aloud, moving back and quickly grabbing her cloak. 'I will bring the kitsune and neko to you. Wait for me until I come back.' She said, before pulling the cloak around her shoulders and melting once again to become part of the night.

The two youkai blinked at her sudden retreat and then Arron snorted slightly in anger.

'_Why'd you tell her that, mother?' _He asked in annoyance, and Kazkaen looked back at him. '_Why should I not have? Are you so ashamed of your father's history?' _

Arron (lacking the ability to narrow them) made his eyes kindle brightly with anger. '_That's not it and you know it! How do you know if we can trust this ningen sorceress?' _He asked accusingly. Kazkaen was silent for a moment before saying softly '_Gouka trusts her--' _

'_But he was also **captured** by her! His judgement is not at it's best at the moment, as you well know. She is still a human after all. Do you think she will not tell someone what you have said? And then what? What will we do when other discover us? Do you truly think we can trust all these humans?'_

Kazkaen remained silent for a moment, staring calmly at her angry son.

'_That is a risk I am willing to take.' _She said. Arron stared at her a moment, and then snorted in disbelief, turning his back on his mother and walking into the shadows. '_You will have to trust someone eventually, Arron. You can't be bitter toward everyone forever.' _

Her only answer was silence.

Glossary

Youkai - Demon

Kazkaen - Wind Blaze (OC)

Neko - Cat

Kitsune - Fox

Gouka - Hellfire (I don't know if I made it clear, but he's the stallion who's normally helping Amaya) (OC)

Arron - Wild Theory (OC)

Araji - Wild Fire (OC -- and we probably won't hear much more about him. Just a passing character.)

Kaji no Koden - I'm not sure if I got it right, but I think this means Fire of Legend.

Ningen - Human

My apologies to anyone who found this chapter confusing-- I'm not trying to do it! I honestly had no control over this chapter, so I just hope you could figure it out... Please, any questions don't be afraid to ask... I don't think I managed a coherent sentence throughout this entire chapter, so it's more than understandable.

I was actually a little iffy about keeping this chapter the way it is considering how many open questions it could lead to when it really doesn't have such a big impact on the story at all...

Oh! And Next chapter should probably have Miroku and Inuyasha (though I'm not sure how much communication there'll actually be, considering how weak Miroku still is...)

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: Black Betty, xolovexinuyasha, angelwingz21, Wish-full thinker, Bluer Sky, wolfygirl13 **(Thanks again for the pocky )**, Forever To Be Me, Almandine-Azaleea, lunerfox, Darking Queen, Kuroi, Box Queen, Clouds of the Sky, RamblingPhilosopher, sourapple10000, AidynFire, **and **Inume-blue **phew -- These are the AWESOME reviewers from last chapter, and the reason this one is up!

POCKY AND PEPSI FOR EVERYONE!

Unless you're like me, and prefer coke, then you can have coke instead.

CMOC - Silhouettes - Smile Empty Soul, For you - Smile Empty Soul, My Will - Dream and One Day, One Dream - Tackey and Tsubasa.


	50. Saviour

A\N: Well, I actually remembered the song I was listening to when I wrote this (though I don't know if it'll impact the story in anyway) but it was "Save me" by Remy Zero. So that's the background music that inspired this chapter I guess.

Harry Potter 4 comes out today, so that should be interesting.

Haven't actually seen it yet, after the letdown that the third movie was, I really didn't want to waist money going to see it in the theatre. ... and I just realised how bad it must sound whenever I say the best part of that movie was the credits.

Alright, now I'm curious, which do you people prefer? Coke or Pepsi? Coke for me, definitely...

Anyway, I've ranted a bit now, now it's time to rant at the reviewers as individuals:

-Wish-full thinker - Yeah. But then, a major benefit to having the manga would be it would make it a lot easier to study the pictures and drawings and art. -- I'm glad you thought so, that last chapter actually drove me insane while writing it, but if I managed to add even a little enjoyment to it for the readers, then my work here is done.

-Clouds of the Sky - I know exactly what you mean. Everybody's insane. The definition of sane does not fully match any person I've met. Anyone who claims to be sane is in denial. And, as some famous person said, "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt."

-lunerfox - Which did I watch? Of Salad fingers? Only the first episode... I was a little scared to continue. And I'm afraid I have to disagree with you. You don't have to laugh. You can always run away screaming in terror, lock your doors and windows, hide under your bed, and refuse to come out until all the rust has been removed from your household.

-Black Betty - Lol, I'm glad! I didn't actually think people would like them...

-Bluer Sky - Lol, well okay, I will, but it'll have to wait another chapter I'm afraid. i was going to have him here, but it just didn't work out, and my mind made me write this instead. I'm afraid he might not be as lecherous as before though... at least, not for a while yet.

-Sexy Kat - I didn't forget about Kagome and Sango, I just haven't gotten to them yet. I'm not a miracle worker ya know! -- Lol, I don't know if the horses will be in the final battle (fairly likely) but in the mean time, they're going to help this plot along some. I just included some of their history because I though it might be helpful, or give you a better idea of what they're like in my mind.

-wolfygirl13 - Lol, wow, well I hope you have fun down there at the chocolate factory. I'm surprised you got Sesshomaru-chibi to work for you, but it just goes to show you never know what to expect from him! -- Well, if that's really all I can get for you, then I'll do my best to get it! So here's another chapter for you I guess, and some more MT. Dew, since you're out. -- 572 pounds and 9 ounces... Are you trying to get me fat, or are you just trying to spoil me? Lol, hope you don't mind if I share it with other reviewers.

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, it's whatever flavour you want it to be, wolfygirl13 has me overflowing in candy. -- I have no idea if it's a show on ABC-- I don't watch that channel much-- I just thought it was a good name for one of the demon horses. I'm glad you like it. -- Well it's good to know you don't like her. I, quite personally, can't stand her. She drives me nuts! However, compared to Kikyo or Paris Hilton, she's really not all that bad.

-Box Queen - Lol, no you're making sense. I don't necessarily get angry, I get frustrated. Believe me, if I had gotten "angry" I'd be out looking for a new computer right now.

-angelwingz -- Well thank-you, blah blah blah, I will, blah blah blah, hope you enjoy this next one too!

-xolovexinuyasha - I was just thinking that exact same thing, and I might have changed the topic, only nothing exciting has happened for me to talk about. Lol, but that's quite the story you've got there. Sounds painful, and I hope your hand feels better soon, and have some more coke! gives coke -- Seriously though, that is definitely way more interesting then when I "broke" my arm way back when. I actually didn't break it, I just chipped the bone when I was doing that damn thing where you run and jump into the sand-pit. Can you fucking believe that? It was a long time ago, but that's pretty much the only arm injury I've ever sustained, so it's the only thing I could think of to tell you.

-Kuroi - Lol, yep, lots of pocky! And hopefully lots of new chapter soon!

-Almandine-Azaleea - Lol, yeah right! -- Do you really think my mind is going to let me get to the final battle so easily? It's only bee, what, 50 chapters, and I'm only just now getting some of the main characters away from Naraku! Lol, I can't say for sure, but I don't think the battle is going to be for a while yet. Gomen, but that's just the way it goes...

Well there's my big rant for the chapter, I guess it's time to give you the actual story...

Saviour

Sesshomaru frowned imperceptibly as he watched Inuyasha, who was watching the sky.

His little brother's face was slightly anxious as he scanned the dark sea of stars, searching for any sign of the sorceress or her supposed prisoners that she was bringing here.

Sesshomaru had given up protesting it by now-- it was obvious he wasn't getting anywhere with the sorceress.

Besides, she had stated quite clearly that these were the friends of Inuyasha and would be, not only useful in battle, but in his healing process as well. The witch clearly understood how fond he was becoming of his little brother, and was using it every bit to her advantage.

And that was precisely why he had never let himself get attached to anyone.

Everyone now in his life that he cared even a little bit about was there by mistake.

Jaken he had saved from the demon that was about to eat him (not entirely his intent, but it had happened anyway), and the little demon had simply refused to leave him alone after that. Not that he had done much to dissuade the toad, but most people usually gave up after a while of being ignored.

Rin he had saved from the wolves after she had attempted to help him with wounds he had sustained from Tetsusaiga. Her help was futile and not needed but she had offered it anyway, even after he tried to send her away repeatedly. Now she too had bound herself to him after he had rescued her from the clutches of the dead.

Her and Jaken were complete opposites in everything they did-- her free spirit was bubbly and completely it's own, and she had all the cares of a new born babe, despite whatever horrors she had gone through in her life that he knew nothing about. In a complete turnabout of personalities, Jaken was tightly wound, could be fairly cruel, and had more worries than a creature half his size and twice his age. The only things the two had in common was their unwavering devotion to him and their eagerness to please and accomplish whatever task he set them about doing.

Which made them, in some way, more lapdog companions than equals.

But that led to Inuyasha.

His little brother.

And, in a way, he had saved him as well.

But Inuyasha was not like Rin or Jaken.

His spirit was made entirely of fire, but it had been smothered slightly while in Naraku's grasp. He doubted it would ever be stoked back up to the uncontrollable wildfire it had been before, but it was still the wild spirit it had always been and was not prepared to be captured or controlled by anyone. Not ever again.

And, while Inuyasha most certainly did look up to him now, he hardly was worried with pleasing him the save way Rin and Jaken were. If Sesshomaru commanded him to do something that he did not think was necessary or did not wish to do, chances are he would not do it.

It was both infuriating and refreshing.

Like now, despite being commanded to remain in the castle in case the Saimyoushou returned, Inuyasha was outside, scanning the skies desperately, searching for any signs of his companions.

Sesshomaru slowly and silently approached him, knowing his brother would smell him anyway, but wanting to make it as difficult for him to detect him as possible. It was just another way he was training his brother-- forcing him to strain and use all his senses again.

Inuyasha's ears twitched when he was still several feet away, swivelling around in the direction of him, and Sesshomaru knew his brother was aware of his presence.

Turning slowly, Inuyasha cast his brother a short, anxious glance, before turning back to the sky.

He waited until his older brother was standing right beside him before speaking.

'Do you think they got caught?' He asked, his voice unusually quiet as Sesshomaru also turned his eyes skyward, taking a moment to consider his little brother's question.

'Naraku is very conniving and vicious Inuyasha. He is very powerful and cunning and has a strong will when it comes to finding and maintaining what he wants.' He said slowly, feeling Inuyasha's fear spike up a notch. 'But so is Amaya.'

He felt Inuyasha's eyes turn toward him, but he did not return the gesture, staring skyward still as he continued to speak. 'The sorceress is very cunning and powerful-- she has likely been around for several hundreds of years despite being human. I do not believe that she would so easily be caught by Naraku.' He turned his eyes slowly onto his brother. 'Inuyasha, if she had any doubts that her plan would succeed, do you think she would still willingly put your friends lives in danger?' He asked.

Inuyasha frowned and looked up at the sky again.

He was about to answer when something caught his eyes attention, instantly drawing them toward it and causing all speech to flee him as he tried to make out what it was.

To fiery red streaks were flying toward them at an incredibly speed, along with a faint bluish blur travelling next to them.

He frowned, knowing Sesshomaru was looking at them now as well. His brother sniffed the air softly, tasting the night's scent just as a breeze lifted to carry it toward them, and Inuyasha mimicked the action, catching the scent of horses and miasma and that strange two-headed dragon, Ah-Un, Sesshomaru always kept with him.

'They are here.' Sesshomaru said plainly, pointing out the obvious, but Inuyasha nodded, tensing despite himself.

How would he react to his friends?

He hadn't seen them for so long, save in memory, and he wasn't even entirely certain which of those memories were real and which were just his mind playing tricks on him. How would they be? How would they react to him? Especially after knowing what he had done, what he had been turned into... and by whom.

That is, assuming they didn't know already.

As if sensing his inner turmoil, Sesshomaru gently reached his hand up and placed it on his brother's shoulder in an unexpected show of affection, causing Inuyasha's golden eyes to snap toward him in surprise.

'Do not fear, otouto.' He said quietly, softly, not bothering to look at Inuyasha for fear of making the moment too emotional and tend. 'They will not hate you. It will all be alright.'

Inuyasha offered his brother a nervous smile despite himself, taking comfort in his aniki's words whether he wanted to or not.

His brother was right.

Had to be right.

After all, everything that had happened... it had hardly been his fault. He hadn't wanted to serve Naraku. And... he had been unable to control it.

It had been a mistake.

And hopefully they would understand that.

And hopefully they could forgive him for it.

**SPECIAL THANKS AND LOTS OF POCKY, PEPSI AND COKE TO: Wish-full Thinker, Clouds of the Sky, lunerfox, Black Betty, Bluer Sky, Sexy Kat, wolfygirl13 **(Thanks again for all the treats!)**, RamblingPhilosopher, Box Queen, angelwingz21, xolovexinuyasha, Kuroi **aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand **Almandine-Azaleea **-- If you were paying any attention to my rant on any of the other chapters, you'll understand why I'm thanking these people!

CMoC - Sayonara wa Ashita no Tame ni (Graduation: Farewll is for Tomorrow), Fake Wings - See-Saw, In the land of Twilight, Under the Moon - See-Saw, Perfect Situation - Weezer, When I'm Gone - 3 Doors Down, We're not gonna take it - Twisted Sister, This Love - Maroon5, Hyper-Insomnia-Para-Condroid - Sum41, Jump - Simple Plan, Breathing - Yellowcard, Haunted - Evanescence, Collide - Howie Day and Bad Day - Daniel Powter - Long list, but, once again, I was in a music listening mood.


	51. Reunite

A\N: Hm. I'm not sure I'm happy with this chapter.

I think I might have screwed it up somehow...

Well, too late now I guess...

-Almandine-Azaleea - Yeah, I get what you're saying, and I suppose you're right, but then again, wasn't it moving closer to the battle with all of the beginning chapters? Or what if there (dare I say it?) is no battle... 00

-Black Betty - Lol, well if I'm managing that, then, as far as I'm concerned, my work is done. If I've given you a fic that can keep you interested this long, then it must be a helluva lot better than I first thought... Guess all I need now is a good ending for it, neh?

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, Coke for me too. Not my fav pop, but between the two, definitely coke. -- Kagome is not among them. It's Shippo, Miroku and Kirara for now. The girl's (minus Kirara) will be coming later on. I don't know why I left Sango out here though... o.o

-Bluer Sky - Lol, glad you liked it! Pepsi all the way? Well okay, if you say so...

-RamblingPhilosopher - HEY! BE CAREFUL! If you give yourself a concussion, how the hell will you be able to read the rest of the story? oO -- Lol, well I don't know if this is exactly what you had in mind, but don't worry, unless Miroku really gets on my nerves and makes me kill him, he'll probably get better sooner or later. -- I'm glad you think I kept Kikyo in character. I do try, you know. Why would I put her OOC after all? It's IN character that I don't like her. If she was OOC then maybe we could get along... and of course I dis her... doesn't everybody? -- I agree with you-- Coke definitely beats pepsi (pepsi tastes weird... like syrup) -- Yeah, I did hear that song on smallville, though that's not why I listen to it. I pick up songs everywhere-- "Stop crying your eyes out" I got from the butterfly effect, "Don't go away" I got from Coldcase ( -- My family watches that, though, not me... I like crime shows, but this one annoys me for some reason), "Speed of Sound" by some other show on TV... Usually when I'm watching a TV show or a movie and I hear a song I like, I'll make a mad dash to write the lyrics down, and the go an look it up. What can I say, I'm a music freak! Which is strange, cause I can't stand Canadian/American Idol... Lol, N-E-way, I hope this chapter meets up to your standards, although I imagine people are much more hyped up at the thought of Kagome and Inu getting back together than Inu and Miroku.

-Inu's Nanashi - Lol, thanks! You already did reward me though, by Reading and Reviewing! That's the best reward an author can get... besides pocky of course.

-xolovexinuyasha - Yeesh. Actually, it didn't hurt. I told you before, whenever I experience pain, my mind just sorta disconnects, so I didn't really feel it. I just knew that something wasn't right, and I told the teacher (this was for track and field of course ) and got a sling, and then I went to the doctor, and he told me the great news that, had a turned my arm all the way so my palms faced up, I would've snapped the bone completely! -- Anyway, I think your experience is probably worse since I wasn't really effected by the cast (other than a whole bunch of people I'd never met before wanted to sign it) but yours sounds fairly painful... And, even worse, irritating. I hate irritating things. -- I H-A-T-E Volleyball! Fuck! There're no words that can express my absolute LOATHING of that sport. My condolences that you had to endure playing it... And don't worry, you're not stupid. No stupider than the rest of us, anyway. As one of my friends told me once "I'm not as dumb as I think I am!"

-Box Queen - I agree. The 4th movie was better than the third, but they tried too hard to make it the same length _as _the third, and as such... well, it just didn't work. It was still a good movie, in my opinion, just waaaaaaaay too rushed, and missing a lot of funny or interesting details. It's a shame too, the fourth book was my fav...

-Lord Makura - Aren't they though?

-Jennie555 - Really? I've encountered a few fics with more chapters. However, if you're counting by words, then it is fairly likely that there are several other fics out there with more words than this one. Still, it's nice to know I'm catching up to them, and still keeping people interested.

-Kuroi - Okay, I'll give you more, just don't damage the screen! How're you gonna read the story if you do! oo

-sourapple10000 - Lol, it doesn't matter when you review, just as long as you're enjoying.

-Darking Queen - Lol, well I like rootbeer. It could possibly be my fav pop. But, whatever floats your boat, since I, personally, can't stand the taste of vanilla icecream. I don't know why, it's just... gross. -- Sorry if the chapters have been a bit of a letdown, I'm trying to give the characters some breathing room from all the action that was happening before...

-Wish-full Thinker - Bleagh! I keep forgetting to add the glossary! Gomen, Gomen! Okay, Otouto means little brother, and Aniki means Big brother. Lol, yeah, I'll try to keep that in mind, but, as I've said before, I have absolutely no control over how this story goes. Blame... I don't know, whatever screwed up part of my mind this is pouring out of. -- Don't worry, I didn't forget the little orb thingy (I'm surprised someone else didn't though ) but I just haven't found a place to put it in again yet. I'm actually unsure what it is anymore, I had an idea when I first created it, but it keeps moving around with the different shifts of the story, so really I don't know... -- Lol, that's fine if you don't drink either, quite honestly I prefer rootbeer to either of them, but, since it's been like an all-out war between those two brands for so long, I though I'd just see what people really preferred.

-wolfygirl13 - Lol, wow, that's quite the gift! You must really like this story! I'll be sure to avoid chibi-Sesshomaru, though I personally never envisioned him as being a candy-addict... then again, I never pictured him working in the chocolate factory before either, so I guess that doesn't really matter anymore... Lol! -- I hope this is soon enough, I'd hate for you to run out of MT. Dew before the next chapter came up... But now I've got a new problem... What am I gonna do with all this candy? Lol, contrary to common belief, virtual candy takes up quite a lot of room when you think about it! Guess I'm just gonna have t spread your generosity around!

-Inume-blue - Oh? What episode was it that you missed? I kinda understand how you feel cause, despite it being in re-run mode now, I still enjoy seeing all the episodes again. My sister thinks I'm a freak though. Anyway, hope this next chapter makes you feel a bit better about missing that episode... -- I didn't say the 4th movie was a letdown, I said the 3rd movie was a let down. It was waaaaaaaaaaaay too artistic and didn't really follow along with the book, and that giant clock the director added in-- Very fucking dangerous if you ask me. Just get one unsuspecting kid walking through there at the right moment, and BAM! Hogwarts has one less witch\wizard to worry about. -- Anyway, the 4th movie, while definitely better, I still say is a bit of letdown. Of course, this is coming from someone whose comparing it to the book, in which case I say it was really rushed and they left out a lot of parts. In the sense of a person not comparing it to a book-- It was a little confusing, and everything seemed to happen very fast at some parts that seemed important, and seemed to slow down at others. Still, either way, I liked it, it just wasn't as good as I'd hoped...

Well that's about it for now. I think I just doubled the length of my story with that though...

Lol, if anyone cares, the music I was listening to when I wrote this was Sotsugyou Sayonara wa Ashita no Tame ni (Graduation: Farewll is for Tomorrow), Grip! and Right here waiting, so I don't know, maybe that should be the background music for this chapter.

Reunite 

When the two horse youkai and the two-headed lizard Ah-Un were nearly landed, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru began approaching them, reaching maybe to about five feet away before Inuyasha was hit with something furry and auburn-ish in colour and that seemed to be trying to strangle the life out of him.

This was, of course, Shippo, but Inuyasha had no idea of that, and immediately grabbed whatever it was and yanked it violently away from him, fear filling his eyes as he dropped the small kitsune on the ground and backed slowly away.

Shippo appeared slightly confused, but was too happy to see his friend to care much, and he immediately tried again to attack himself to Inuyasha, this time aiming for somewhere closer to the half-demon's chest, clutching to his haori in a small hug, his tail lifting happily behind him.

Inuyasha, who had now seen that this... whatever it was was not trying to hurt him, was unsure how to react.

At first he had barely been able to recognise the small kitsune child, and now that he knew who it was... he didn't know what to do.

He looked over at Sesshomaru for help, but Sesshomar didn't say anything, just seemed to tilt his head slightly in what Inuyasha supposed was supposed to be an encouraging gesture.

So he slowly brought his hand up to rest on the child's back, not moving, just waiting to see what the kitsune would do next.

He didn't have long to contemplate this as the next second he felt a weight on his shoulder and he looked over to see the small neko-youkai, Kirara, resting there.

She stared at him with her large red eyes a moment, before letting out a small mewling sound and rubbing affectionately against his cheek in the same way he had seen her do so often with Sango.

Inuyasha frowned slightly at the unexpected memory, and then froze as more began to flood through him.

Shippo first "attacking" him and Kagome to get the jewel shards, Kirara carrying the huge demon head in her mouth before Myouga told her to transform... Memories like that, and more fond one's filled him, and he slowly let a small smile spread across his features.

Shippo was young and not all that experienced in fighting, but, because he had bound himself to Kagome in his own way, Inuyasha had taken it on as his responsibility to give Shippo the demon side of his demon life back. Demon society was harsher than human society, but Kagome and Miroku and sometimes even Sango didn't seem to understand that. Inuyasha knew though that, if someone hadn't been rough on him and treated him the way any demon male of their little pack might have, it would only make things far more difficult for the child later on. Demon's had more expected of them when they grew up, and, if Shippo went into the world with a human's lessons of life flowing through him and nothing but his demon instincts to rely on, he would likely end up killed during his first battle. In that way, Inuyasha had taken the kitsune "under his wing" in a sense and had unexpectedly begun to play the role of adoptive father.

Not that he minded.

And he knew that it was something that only Shippo knew about, since the human members of their group didn't understand the complexity of his actions toward the kitsune.

And then, of course, there was Kirara.

The only one of the group who could even really begin to relate to him in a mature sense and she couldn't talk.

Still, if he wanted to get away from everybody's harsh antics toward him, she was always the first one he'd turn to.

None of the other's knew it, but Kirara probably knew more about Inuyasha's past and feelings than even he himself did.

It was almost like talking to a pet-- telling them all your secrets and feelings because you know they won't tell, only this was better because he knew that Kirara actually understood what he was saying and could sometimes relate to him as well.

And now that this knowledge was beginning to come back to him, so was the comfortableness of being around his companions.

Leastways, the two smallest and most demonic of them.

Which lead him toward the third figure still mounted on the fire-youkai but slowly being helped off by a struggling Amaya.

Inuyasha stared at the seemingly unconscious monk for all of a second, watching him wince slightly as Amaya fought with gravity to pull him off without hurting him, before striding forward to help, pushing aside all his uncertainties in the situation as he quickly grabbed the monk in his arms, Shippo jumping up onto his other shoulder to get out of the way, and lifted him out of Amaya's grasp.

He frowned at the bandage covering the monks hand under his rosary.

Amaya had told him that Miroku had been having serious trouble with his wind tunnel, but she had refused to go into details with him. Now, judging by the way his friend was shaking and sweating in his grip, he could only imagine how bad the damage had really been.

'He's not as bad as you think.' Amaya said, as though reading his thoughts, which, Inuyasha reasoned a moment later, she probably was. He put his ears back and frowned in confusion, and she gestured at the fire-youkai. 'The ride has simply worn him out. With a little rest and proper attention, he should be fine. I am actually thinking of retrieving that monk and bringing him here again to help look after him. That is, if it is alright with the Lord of the castle.' She said, glancing at Sesshomaru, who seemed to be blatantly ignoring the witch, watching as his little brother cradled the monk in his arms as though he were something precious and fragile that might break at any second.

Inuyasha nodded his head toward the witch, before beginning to turn toward the castle, freezing when he heard a weak voice from somewhere near his chest.

'Inu-yasha?'

Inuyasha glanced down at the monk to see him staring up at him with barely open indigo orbs, full of disorientation and familiarity and... understanding? Happiness?

Inuyasha was unsure what to make of the look the monk was giving him, and so just offered him a weak smile.

'Hey.' He said softly, not certain how he was supposed to react to seeing his friend again. A sarcastic remark seemed to be trying to form in his mind, but it disintegrated the closer it got to his mouth, until, whatever snide thing he had been going to say, came out as nothing more than a weak, half-hearted 'I told you not to overexert yourself like this.' Which some part in the back of his mind was quickly jumping up to say that, no, actually, he hadn't said that. Ever. And it was quickly moving to make his wish that he had.

Miroku stared at him a moment before smiling weakly, his eyes drifting closed again.

'It's good to see you too, Inu.' He said, not being able to draw enough strength to finish his friend's momentarily rather difficult name.

Inuyasha stared at his friend a moment, smiling despite himself, before he felt Miroku go limp in his arms, and he quickly felt worry rush through him.

He began to walk again, but paused when he heard Amaya speaking to him.

'Inuyasha.' She said softly, causing him to turn half-way toward her. 'The slayer and Kagome are still in Naraku's grip. I may be able to bring the slayer within the next day or two, but I do not know how easy Kagome will be. I think Naraku may be watching her. Nevertheless, I will try. Do you think you can look after the monk until I can find the opportunity to return? I fear the slayer may very well try and kill me if she doesn't think he is being properly cared for.'

Inuyasha glanced down at Miroku lying in his arms again before nodding slowly.

Amaya returned the action. 'Good.' She said, before turning to look at the two horse-youkai. 'I will be need of your assistance again soon I think.' She said, and Kazkaen shook her mane in assent.

'_We'll wait for your call.' _The horse replied, before turning toward her son, giving him a rough nip on the flank (earning her an angry snort) before they both took off into the sky, leaving blazing streaks of orange and red behind them.

Amaya, after transforming to her bird form, followed moments later, and the two brother's were again standing in the darkened area, though now they were accompanied by three more youkai and a human monk.

Inuyasha stood there silent for several moments, before quickly turning and continuing his journey back to the castle, Sesshomaru waiting a minute before moving to follow, Ah-Un close behind.

'_Well,' _Inuyasha thought as he shifted slightly to better accommodate the barely awake kitsune on his shoulder '_if nothing else, Rin will be happy to have some new companions to play with. And Kohaku will finally get to see someone from his village.' _

As if sensing his thoughts, Kirara jumped down off his shoulder, landing lightly on Miroku's stomach and curling up on his chest, her tail moving to hide her face, and a light rumbling that Inuyasha knew to be the fire-cat's purr filling the air around her.

Glossary

Youkai - Demon

Kitsune - Fox

Haori - A sort of Japanese half-jacket

Neko - Cat (Neko-youkai - Cat-Demon)

Inu - Dog

Kazkaen - Wind Blaze OC

**SPECIAL THANKS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF CANDY TO: Almandine-Azaleea, Black Betty, Clouds of the Sky, Bluer Sky, RamblingPhilosopher, Inu's Nanashi, xolovexinuyasha, Box Queen, Lord Makura, Jennie555, Kuroi, sourapple10000, Darking Queen, Wish-full Thinker, wolfygirl13 **and **Inume-blue **-- You guys really are awesome! Thanks for helping me get the story this far!

Candy very much the compliments of wolfygirl13!

CMoC - Sotsugyou Sayonara wa Ashita no Tame ni (Graduation: Farewll is for Tomorrow) - Tackey and Tsubasa, One Day, One Dream - Tackey and Tsubasa, My Will - Dream, Grip! - Every Little thing, For You - Smile Empty Soul and Right here waiting,


	52. Ramble

**-xolovexinuyasha! **- Sorry, I completely missed your review! I'm not sure how it happened, but apparently it did. So I'll respond now, and hopefully you'll read. -- Yep, My Will is a good song. When I first heard it it annoyed me a bit, but now I really like it. -- I don't have any idea how anyone could ever enjoy volleyball. It is one of the most painful, annoying, undirect sports I've ever come across. But then again, I don't much care for most sports like that. I don't have the build for it-- no upper body strength at all. Plus, my skin gets really, really red everytime the ball hits it. When I first played volleyball in gym, my mom saw my arms and thought I had gotten some sort of rash or something, and she wanted to take me to a doctor. -- Woosh. Well, whatever... floats your boat I guess. I usually draw less... violent pictures, but if it helps you get rid of your anger, and _not _actually go around killing people, then that's good too. Anyway, I'm sorry that you had a bad(ish) day-- the fact that I missed your review probably didn't help much, so gomen again for that, and thanks for pointing it out! -- Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got something I need to do... Runs around deflating all the volleyballs .. Hope your arms feel better soon.

Strangely enough, I had the very cheerful song "Brand new world" playing in the background when I wrote this chapter as well as "Scars" by Papa Roach toward the end, Broken - Seether\Evanescence, which is weird, cause this isn't exactly a happy chapter... It's not sad necessarily, but there just isn't much happening...

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed "Haunted" and sorry to everyone I disturbed with that story. -- Gomen, been writing too much fluff lately, had to get it out of my system.

'Kay, I got a MOUNTAIN load of reviews, so I better get to it.

-Almandine-Azaleea - Lol, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. Actually, I'm feeling a little guilty myself cause I've had to slow down my updates, but there's just nothing for it. Between school, family, friends, drawing and all my other stories, there's just not enough time to update as frequently. -- I love those two songs by Tackey and Tsubasa (Though I don't think I've heard the other you mentioned) I don't know why, they just have such a nice sound to them. Plus, everytime I hear Sotsugyou Sayonara was Ashita no Tame ni, I think of the episode where Kikyo died, and that always helps cheer me up. -- Anyway, good luck with all the work and updates! Hope you're getting along better than i am.

-Black Betty - Lol, what is this, slacker's month? Everybody I've talked to lately has been so tired and unmotivated to do stuff. Lol, no offence, I'm one of them! Maybe it's a new strain of spring fever? Anyway, glad I could make your day a little bit brighter! I know how nice it can be to read a new update after a long day.

-Kuroi - Glad I could help! It's nice to know my story is cheering people up! -- Oh, and to your comments on my "Haunted" story -- I'm glad you enjoyed these stories. And I'm glad they freaked you out a little-- they were supposed to do that. And sorry about the "Sesshomaru" and "Brother" in the other one-- I guess my editing job wasn't as good as it could have been, but I've fixed it now (hopefully) so maybe that won't get in the way anymore. I personally don't even care for the second version of it, but, since most people throw a fit when there is Sess/Inu, I figured I'd better give another version. Just in case.

-Sexy Kat - Lol, lucky you. I look forward to hearing from you when you get back.

-wolfygirl13 - Woosh. Okay, hang on, give me a few minutes... Lol, Wow, that's quite a mouthful (though really, who am I to talk?) -- Lol, sounds like the chibi's are making trouble in the chocolate factory. Maybe this is why Willie Wonka hired Oompa Loompa's?(sp?) -- Well, don't worry, once Inuyasha wakes up from his coma, maybe you can convince him to Wind Scar all their asses. Though it probably won't kill them, since the attack seems to vary in strength. That's always seemed weird to me-- How strong or weak their weapons are depending on the situation. Like how can Inuyasha use "Wind Scar" that one time and nearly kill _Sesshomaru _with it, when Backlash wave has almost no effect on him, and Wind Scar barely seems to be working with Naraku? And how can Sango use Hiraikotsu and slaughter all those demons just by throwing it, yet practically drop it on Miroku's head everytime he flirts and avoid cracking his skull? It's just weird... -- Changing details to suit their purpose I guess. Anyway, we're talking about your chibi problem. I might suggest rounding them all up and locking them in a room together for a while without any sugar. Once they come down from their little possessive highs you might be able to get through to them. If not, being in each other's presences for so long with certain sober them up, if not drive them to the brink of insanity. -- Yeesh. Y'know, chibi-Sesshomaru, I've been getting lots of threats lately to update this story (and get Inu and Kags back together) but threatening me with rubber duckies... that's definitely one I've never heard before. Besides, I thought you were in the chocolate factory? Why do you have rubber duckies in the chocolate factory? ... Actually, you know what? On second thought, I don't want to know. Just don't throw them at me, and I'll update, alright? -- Okay, wolfygirl13, sorry about that, now what was I gonna say to you? I know I was gonna thank you for the key, but I think there was something else... can't remember it though... oh well, I guess I'll just thank you for the key then. Arigato! I'll be sure to come and visit sometimes... if you can get the chibi's under control that is. -- And don't worry, I don't think you're there's anything wrong with your rambling. And if you say you're not insane, that's fine too. Denial is always the hardest stage to get through after all. -- "I'm not suffering from insanity, I'm enjoying every minute of it."

-ultimateromantic - Lol, yep the boys are back together. But they can't go kick Naraku's ass... at least, not without the girls... and some time to heal of course. Keeping that in mind, plus the number of other chapters... my average number of words per chapter... the amount of characters I have... Okay, the amount of chapters till they encounter Naraku should be, if my calculations are correct, completely unpredictable. I have no idea. It could be three chapters, it could be another fifty. It all depends on where this story takes me...

-RamblingPhilosopher - Yep, I imagine Shippo is happy. I haven't really said a lot about him in this story... frankly I don't want to. The less I say about him, the better I can portray him... because he annoys me to no end. What the hell is up with that stupid thing he does almost everytime there's a battle "Okay, let's go... Aw! I'm just a little kid, why do I have to go!... Forget it! I'm going!" It drives me up the wall everytime he does that! Yep, I know that uma means horse, I just don't care for the word "uma." I don't know why, I just don't like it. Tsukiko? Moon-Child? Lol that's weird, I was thinking of using that name in one of my other stories. Okay, sorry bout that, got a bit sidetracked, so Kirara is a nekomata then? Hm. I'll try to keep that in mind. Thanks!

-Clouds of the Sky - Well, I don't think the problem is necessarily getting Kagome out, it's keeping it hidden from Naraku... I don't know, we'll just have to wait and see I guess...

-Bluer Sky - Yeah, sorry bout that, but this is kinda a healing part of the story for the main characters. It's gonna be a bit slow I'm afraid. At least for the, anyway.

-Lord Makura - Thanks!

-MewMewFireHeart - Lol, I understand completely. I can't stand school either. And anyone who would say something like "don't you go to school to learn" is clearly very hard up for some good humour. -- A house caught on fire? Weird. I don't much like abandoned houses since they're fairly open targets for crime (and I don't mean like light crime, I mean like drug-dealings, animal gladiators and all the other hardcore stuff) so maybe it's a good thing it burned down if no one was living in it. Lol, now I sound paranoid, but I'm not. I actually really like exploring houses and things like that, but I'm just saying I don't think it's good for them to be left abanonded like that. Or something. Ugh! Nevermind, just forget it. -- Lol, so you played basketball? I never much liked the student-teacher faceoff things. But then, I never much liked sports. Still, now I'm curious, how did your teachers cheat? Things must be getting bad if the teachers are cheating to defeat the students... Still, the best way to defeat a cheater is to just give up on competing and try to turn it back from a sport/competition into a game. If you're just there to have fun, then what can they really do? That's my theory anyway... YES! I'm making other people ramble! I knew it was contageous... just needed enough time to allow it to spread... Lol, don't worry, it's lots of fun to ramble since usually people don't know what you're talking about, and you really don't have to care cause you've already said it.

-lunerfox - Lol. I don't know if I like linken park, I haven't listened to that much of them. I think I did listen to My December though, and I didn't like it very much.

-Inume-Blue - Oh that sucks. What was the episode? I haven't seen all the episodes either-- I've missed more than a few throughout the series. Still, I've seen enough to at least make people _think _I have some idea what I'm talking about, so it's working alright...

-Wish-Full Thinker - Lol, I'm glad you enjoyed that take on their relationship. I've seen it done a couple of times, and it always seemed to be a more complex side of a very simple relationship, so I went with it. I like that version anyway. -- You know what, I've been thinking about it and it seems to me that you don't seem to like reflective stories very much... No offence of course, but everytime there's a lot of reflection in my stories, you always point it out and seem a little disappointed... I don't mind, it's just a little observation, and I really have no idea what I'm talking about anyway. -- Lol... I'm sorry I had to do this to you. I was actually thinking about warning you that this fic comes from one of those darker areas of my mind that we talked about at the beginning of the chapter, but then I didn't know if you were even going to read the story or not so... Anyway, yes I know that I was more reflective and used spaces instead of lines. That was purposely done. Reflective allows me to be less... graphic in stories like this, and makes the content easier to get through. And the same happens with the lines-- the less I talk about something, the less of a scar I leave on your mind when you finish the story. It's just my way of trying to tone the story down a little bit. -- I get you're not a yaoi fan, so now I have to ask you the same question you asked me. Why? Why did you read this if you know that the content's gonna be something you're automatically not gonna like? Still glad, I could at least work an "Okay" outta you. Now, to answer your question, "Why?" As in "Why did you write this?" Well, mostly because I've really been writing too much fluff lately and needed something darker to hold me together. Then there's the fact that I wanted to write a songfic and I wanted to use that song. And also there's the thing that, if I didn't use Inuyasha, I probably would have had to have used one of the girl's in this position, and I just don't like either of them enough to make them the basis of one of my stories like that. Yep-- that's what I do to the characters I like. -- I don't think I'll lengthen this story out none because I'm fairly happy with it now (plus, I don't think it would lengthen out in a way that anyone on here would like) but still I appreciate you making the effort to read through this. And I agree-- The Sess/Inu one definitely came out better. I only wrote the other one cause most people throw a fit over Sess/Inu. -- Lots of people have been asking me what Rips are. So I guess, as I told them, I'll tell you. A Rip is, in a nutshell, annoying. Lol, they are, basically, flames, but one's that have absolutely no relation to the story at all. It's just an all out attack on the author for no reason, or sometimes not even on the author, but just an all out attack on something in general that is pointless and makes no sense. They can be a bit amusing, but mostly they are just space-wasters and I prefer not to encounter them. -- And yep, you can have strawberry's and sugar if you want. Don't worry, if the future I'll try not to put too many yaoi fics on here. Phew -- looks over response that was a long one, wasn't it?

-Wings of Fayth - I don't know. Maybe I'll kill one of them and it'll never happen.

-fairydiva - Lol, well if you're sure it's not a threat, I might considering heeding your plea.

-Darking Queen - Lol, my chapters never disappoint, so that makes me blasphemous? Or did I say something to make you think that? I don't actually mind bridge chapters (sometimes) but I hate _books _or whole movies that are just bridges between one another. _Those _are annoying.

-Box Queen - Well, my fav is the fourth, so, while they did do a moderately good job on it, I'm still disappointed. They should get Chris Colombus back as the director-- he's done the best job so far. I like the 5th book well enough too, but it was a little bit aggravating sometimes. Still, definitely one of my favs. So yeah, I really hope they don't ruin it. If they do I may just loose hope in them completely. I'm not kidding. -- My day? Oh, it's been well enough I suppose... I nearly fell down the stairs this morning, but other than that it's been good. You?

-Jtmscola - Exactly! That's exactly what I was trying to say about the 4th movie! It's fairly well made, but, especially for someone whose read the book, they rushed it way too much and left out a lot of details that made it confusing at some points. It's like they tried to make it the same length of the other three movies, which is really stupid since it's impossible for a book that long, and in turn ended up loosing a lot of the books charm and quality. Still, it's got it's own kind of charm to it that makes it worth seeing, but not as good as the book. phew Anyway, to your next comment, once again I agree with you. Coke definitely beats pepsi. Pepsi tastes like some sort of screwed up watery syrup. Plus, coke can help cure headaches, aand, if you have a nail you need disintegrated, it can take care of that too. -- You say your into anime? So? How old are you exactly? Nevermind, doesn't matter. As far as I'm concerned, it shouldn't really matter how old you are. Well, unless you're still like sucking your thumb or something, but that's a little bit freaky... Like a little baby watching Desperate housewives (BLEEEEEEEERGH!) or something like that. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah, no, I don't think it's at all weird that you're into anime. It _is _a form of art after all, and even if it's not, it's still interesting and fun. As long as you enjoy it... And if you still think it's weird, then look at it this way, at least you know you're not alone-- How old do you think the people who draw, write, produce and play the voices of the characters in these shows are? Or the artists of the Manga's? I can assure you, they ain't no thirteen year olds. Almost everything you see out there nowadays is thought up and made by adults. Even if it's not meant for them. So no matter what you're into, you can just feel safe in the knowledge that somewhere out there there's someone else who had to come up with that idea in the first place. Yeesh, here I'm going all Buddha on the mountain on you, aren't I? Well, you did ask for honesty. Which is why this next might surprise you-- I actually don't look over my stories. Ever. At least, not until after their posted, when the chapters will seem new and fresh to me and I can actually enjoy them. I don't edit my stories. Any spelling/grammer errors I make stay in the story unless someone points out to me to correct them. I just don't care enough to edit them out. Too lazy I guess.

-angelwingz - Thanks, I sort of gathered that though.

Well, that's about it. Everybody's got their own personal rant, and I think the chapter has nearly doubled in size, so I guess that's about all I can do for now.

Ramble

Miroku shivered slightly in his sleep.

His fever had returned during the night, but had broken again by morning.

Inuyasha was practically beside himself with anxiety.

He had absolutely no idea how to handle a situation like this-- Kagome had always been the "healer" in their group, not him-- and, with the constant changing of Miroku's condition, he would find himself running around like a mad thing to fetch warm furs to wrap him in, or cool cloths to press against his forehead or the Gods only know what kind of foul mixture to try and force down his friend's throat.

It was very tiring work, but he refused to break from it until at last Sesshomaru, nearly going insane himself from watching his little brother run around like this (though he gave absolutely no sign of it) ordered the half-demon to be still and rest and then sent Jaken to see if he couldn't find one of the castle's healers, since many had left to go and help with the injured from the war.

Inuyasha sighed and slumped down next to the bed, his ears pressed back against his head as he tried to stare past the skin of his eyelids up at the ceiling.

The young kitsune was asleep in the hanyou's own room, curled up safely with Kirara for the time being.

The child had seemed no worse for the wear mentally, and his physical wounds were old and would heal soon enough now that they had the proper opportunity. It seemed Naraku didn't care much for torturing children he deemed useless.

Sesshomaru had always found it fascinating that his little brother could put up with the existence of three ningens, let alone fall in love with one of them, and the kitsune child like he did.

As far as he could tell, only the fire-cat really had enough sense, use, or battle skill to keep around.

But then again, he had been carrying Rin and Jaken around with him for a long enough time... neither of them had proved to be very useful or interesting to keep around, unless you consider their little conversations with one another interesting, but he had brought them anyway.

It was strange to think that he had actually done something, nay, make that _two _somethings that didn't have a greater purpose behind them.

Maybe that same unknown feeling was the same one that bid Inuyasha to keep his companions around him the way he did...

Inuyasha opening his eyes to look over at the monk-- '_Miroku' _Sesshomaru reminded himself -- was enough to bring him back from his thoughts, and he watched as his little brother slowly reached up and clasped Miroku's injured hand in his own, staring at the kazaana thoughtfully.

'He was never afraid of very much.' He said suddenly, eyeing Miroku's hand with a strange sort of fondness that suggested he was currently thinking of a situation where the monk had behaved, in his opinion, like a complete baka. 'He was really strong for a human, and he always put up a brave front.' Inuyasha said, turning slowly to look up at Sesshomaru.

'But this scared him.' He said, gesturing toward the monk's hand.

There was a moment's silence before Inuyasha laughed.

But it wasn't a real laugh.

It was similar, he imagined, to what his laugh might sound like-- if he ever deemed it time to laugh. Not that that would ever happen.

It was a broken, foreign sound, completely devoid of humour and it had enough of an effect to send a single shiver up Sesshomaru's spine, in a similar manner that Inuyasha had when he had first seen him in his demon form.

It was a bitter sound of pain and irony and one that he never wanted to hear his little brother utter again, and only many years of careful training allowed him to resist the urge to go over and backhand his brother, if for no other reason than to get him to shut up and stop that horrendous sound.

He didn't need to worry though, for the next second the sound ended, just like that, and an uncomfortable sort of silence seemed to fill the room.

Inuyasha didn't seem to notice.

His eyes were grim and dull as he looked up at Sesshomaru through his shield of eyelashes and tears.

'That's so typical of Naraku.' He said, turning his eyes once again to Miroku's hand. 'It's not bad enough that he had to curse Miroku and his entire family, but he gave him a curse that existed within his very being and would one day spread and kill him.' He chuckled bitterly, the sound nearly making Sesshomaru's hackles raise as his little brother leaned his head back against the wall, silent for a moment, his eyes closing one again.

'He's not like the rest of us, Sesshomaru.' He said slowly. 'He doesn't have all this time to plan, though it is in his nature to, if I remember correctly.' He opened his eyes and glanced sidelong at his brother. 'He can't wait hundreds of years like some of the demons can, or even just a few decades like some of the humans can. I don't even know if he can wait one more year. He said that the wind tunnel spreads each year, but it's already been forcefully spread by other demons and Naraku. He doesn't have much time left.'

He closed his eyes again, tears beginning to fall from the corners and slip down his cheeks.

'Dammit all!' He said loudly, though not loud enough to disturb the monk or kitsune, his voice laced with frustrated agony. 'How can Naraku do all these things?' He asked angrily, though it was clearly a rhetorical question.

He smashed his head back against the wall once, not hard enough to do any damage, but still enough to draw attention and cause concern as he looked helplessly over at Miroku. 'I just want it all to stop, Sesshomaru.' He said, his voice a soft whisper, the tears evident in it. 'I want him to be stopped.'

'He will be, otouto.' Sesshomaru said slowly, considering the figure before him a moment. 'We will do everything we can to save your friend.' He said suddenly, surprising both himself and Inuyasha, though neither of them let on.

Inuyasha cast a sad look over at his brother, before offering him a weak smile. 'Thanks aniki.' He said, catching Sesshomaru off guard. 'I needed to hear that.'

Sesshomaru stared in stoic surprise at his little brother a moment more, before turning and walking out of the room without a word, and Inuyasha didn't try and stop him.

His brother had been spending a lot of time and energy on him and the other's lately and, youkai or not, even he would need some time to regenerate. Alone.

So he focused his attention instead on his friend, who had begun tossing around a bit in his sleep and mumbling things under his breath.

Knowing that a fever victim could hurt themselves if they were allowed to thrash about a lot, Inuyasha reached up and quickly rewrapped the furs around the monk more tightly, not giving him room to move an inch for fear that he would wriggle his way free again and then settling down to keep watch.

'_I wonder what's taking that toad so damn long anyway.' _He wondered was he rested his arms across his knees and leaned back against the wall once more. Miroku was still mumbling and was now struggling to get free from his knew captor blankets.

Frowning slightly, Inuyasha reached over and took his injured hand in his own again, which seemed to be the cause of all this distress in the first place.

Miroku instantly stilled slightly, his brow furrowing as he mumbled something to his sleep and fever claimed mind.

'Shh, Miroku.' He said softly, pressing a finger to his friend's lips. 'Stop wasting all your damn energy monk.' He added with non-existent humour in his voice. Miroku seemed to calm slightly at his words (though the hanyou doubted he understood who had said them and what he had said) but still continued trying to saying something.

Inuyasha sighed.

'I wish I knew how to help you.' He said softly, going quiet when Miroku unexpectedly did the same. For a moment the room was filled with silence, then Miroku's brow knitted together once again in distress and he began to wiggle about some more.

Instantly Inuyasha placed his hand on his friend's chest, holding him still, and then, acting on impulse alone with no real thought given to it, he began speaking again. Well, singing actually (not something he had ever been fond of, but he had watched Kikyo sing more times than he could remember to some of the sick people she helped or small children). Unfortunately he only knew one song that he had picked up on the many time's the children had sung it in the villages they had passed.

'Pure has now become Impure

Impure has now become Pure

Good has now become Bad

Bad has become Good.'

It was a simple tune and it sounded very depressing and sad, especially on his inexperienced voice, but Miroku seemed calmed by it nonetheless, and went very still, almost as though listening for more.

Not wanting his friend to being thrashing about or mumbling again, Inuyasha repeated the verse a few more times before it began to really play on his nerves (and vocal chords) and he gave up on the song. For all of five seconds before Miroku began to start up again.

Then he was forced to talk about things-- many things-- things he didn't normally talk about, things that he really didn't know what to say about, and things that had never happened at all.

He didn't know if Miroku could hear him or not, but that hardly mattered.

He was just rambling in an effort to soothe his friend, and if this was what worked, then he would continue to do it until his mouth ran dry and his throat shrivelled up from the effort.

Glossary

Kitsune - Fox

Hanyou - Half-Demon

Ningen - Human

Kazaana - Wind Tunnel

Baka - Fool!

Otouto - Little Brother

Aniki - Big Brother

Youkai - Demon

A\N: Okay, so, the song in this is just a little one that I've heard several times on the TV show (the little kids were singing it in the background and I think it was discussed for all of five seconds on one of the episodes) and I'm not sure if I got the lyrics _exactly _right (this is all by memory peoples). I don't know the name of the song nor who wrote it\sang it, but it wasn't me and I'm not laying any claim on it for that.

Anyway, if anyone's wondering what's happening with Kagome, Amaya and Sango, I'll get back to them soon enough, just please be patient-- I'm beating my brains out to try and get these chapter's up and I can only do so many characters at a time!

Hm. Here's an interesting thing... The closest word Spellcheck can find for "Inuyasha" is Natasha. o.O

Lol, well I thought it was weird anyway...

Anyway, again, sorry for anyone who seems OOC! Except for Inuyasha (but that's only because of the ordeal he's been through) I didn't mean to do it!

**SPECIAL THANKS AND LOTS OF CANDY, POCKY AND STRAWBERRY'S TO: Almandine-Azaleea, Black Betty, Kuroi, Sexy Kat, wolfgirl13 **(and chibi-Sesshomaru I guess... ), **ultimateromantic, RamblingPhilosopher, Clouds of the Sky, Bluer Sky, xolovexinuyasha, Lord Makura, MewMewFireHeart, lunerfox, Inume-blue, Wish-full Thinker, Wings of Fayth, fairydiva, Darking Queen, Box Queen, Jtmscola **and last, but not least **angelwinz21**

Phew

Hang on a moment!

Catches breath

Okay, those people are the AWESOME reviewers from the last chapter, and the main inspiration for this chapter! Thank them if you're enjoying this!

CMoC - Haunted - Evanescence (Can't get this damn song out of my head!), Brand new world - V6, Scars - Papa Roach, Broken - Seether\Evanescence, Bring me to Life - Evanescence, For You - Smile Empty Soul, Silhouettes - Smile Empty Soul, Never Again - Smile Empty Soul, Lies - Evanescence (Am I sensing a pattern here?), My Will - Dream aaand Hollaback(Is that it's title?) - Gwen Steffani

Bit of a change of pace at the end there, but mostly I guess I'm just listening to Evanescence and Smile Empty Soul. Hm. I didn't even notice until I typed this out...


	53. Brood

A\N: 

Hey everyone!

I am currently not in a very good mood. Am suffering from severe case of writer's block (for this story especially) and that's why I haven't been updating. I somehow managed to squeeze this chapter out, but I haven't been able to do anything else that really effects the story in any way... I don't much care for this chapter, but it's all that I could manage so it's all that there is... I don't know how long till the next chapter... until the writer's block passes I guess... Gomen, but, when a writer suffers from writers block, there's really nothing you can do to fix it... Oh and I've also got to go a place I really don't want to go and see people I really don't want to see (aka my relatives) so that kinda sucks.

Believe you me, when you get a bunch of crazies like that all together in a room, it's hard to stop the violence. 

Oh, and before I forget, last update was _not_, as I'm sure most of you noticed, chapter 512. That was a mistake--forgot to delete the 1 from 51 and ended up with 512. Anyway, just thought I'd clear that up a little bit before I continue...

-Clouds of the Sky - No, that's fine. I like the title of that chapter too. I like having fun when I'm picking out the titles for chapters, but try to keep them somehow related as well. I actually really wanted to write a chapter along those lines because most of my reviewers seem to have picked up on my habit of rambling. Yay, I'm contagious! -- And, if you are a loser, at least be glad that you're an honest loser.

-lunerox - "Someone gets bored easily"? ... Hm. Now I'm a little confused-- someone get's bored with the story easily? Otherwise I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about... Unless it's in relation to something I said, in which case I still have no idea what you're talking about, but I really probably should... Or something. Lol, sorry, didn't sleep much last night... Anyway, do I like country? Ummm, how can I put this nicely... thinks about it for a moment Nope, there's no way to put it nicely, so I'm just gonna say no and leave it at that.

-wolfygirl13 - Lol, thanks! -- to chibi-Sesshomaru, Do itashi mashite, which (i think) means you're welcome. You really should probably lay off the sugar though... Think about it, you were threatening me with rubber duckies... Now, I don't know, because I've never been attacked by rubber duckies before, but I don't think they're the best weapon in the world... Especially when you're anime counterpart uses two swords, a whip and poison claws... -- Anyway, to wolfgirl13, that was more than I needed to know about Jaken, but thanks anyway. (although when I first read through your review, I read it as Jakotsu, so when I came back I was a little confused... then again, when I first saw Jakotsu I was pretty confused, cause I thought for sure he was a girl, so... ) -- Well, if you need help finding Chibi-Rin and Shippo, I'd be... well, a little scared of looking through a chocolate factory full of hyper chibi's, but I'd still help. Or you could always just promise Inuyasha some more pocky and stuff if he'll sniff em out for you. -- Chibi-Sesshomaru rules Mars, Jupiter and Saturn? Huh. Bet the astrologists didn't see _that_ one coming. Then again, there's not a whole lot to rule up there is there... no wonder he's currently on earth. -- Evil Canaries? Hm. Maybe they should get some help from the Bird's of Paradise. Although, I always kinda liked Pluto myself, so it's a little surprising to me that there are canaries on it... Still, you use whatever you've got, don't ya?... Ah ha! It always comes back to the sake doesn't it? For shame, chibi-Sesshomaru!... Lol, okay, just kidding. I think I've had a bit too much sugar myself, so I should fit right in there! Don't worry chibi-Sess, I'm not gonna take you're stuff if I come and visit. Just so long as you don't pelt me with rubber duckies, we should all get along fine. I'm glad things are looking... conscious for chibi-Inu (gotta cut back on the names-- after a while it gets really exhausting to type out things like "Chibi-Inuyasha and Chibi-Sesshomaru"... which is weird, why do they have such long names when it's rumoured their father's name is something like Toga? oO) -- Okay, anyway, that was off topic, so what was I saying? Oh yeah, I'm glad Inu's concious again, and you're right, after a while he would probably suffocate himself... I don't know about his sanity though, you might consider asking Shippo or Rin-- maybe they did something to him. Slipped something into his pocky or something. Poor chibi-Sango. I'd offer her to come over here and reccuperate, but lately it doesn't seem like anybody on this end is getting any sleep either, so I don't know what good it would do... Lol, anyway, that was a really, incredibly long rant, and I think if I keep going here I won't have enough ranting energy left to answer the other reviewers, so I guess I better get to that... Still, glad ( -- I really need to find a new word ) you could enjoy it, and hope you get the chocolate factory back in working order soon!

-The Grand Dungeon Master - Thanks! I'll see what I can (or can't) do!

-Lord Makura - Umm... Well, I don't think there's any Sess-Inu in this chapter... checks chapter nope, there isn't any. Still, I'll see if I can't get some more of them interacting in one of the next chapters... Maybe. Like always with my stories though, there is _no _guarantee.

-Jtmscola - Lol, well what's wrong with that? Maybe your friends aren't into anime, or maybe you just don't want to share it with them. Could be a possessive side, neh? Lol, okay, ignore that last comment. "It's like I'm leading a double life." Well that's definitely an interesting way of putting it. Seriously though, you might just not want to talk with them about it because you either have other things you'd like to talk to them about, you don't think they'd be interested, or you just enjoy keeping it to yourself, or for an entirely different reason that I haven't thought up yet altogether. Any of those is fine. When you're watching/reading anime, you enjoy it, but when you're with your friends you enjoy other things. Just as long as you _are_ enjoying it, that should really be all that matters. Yeesh, what the hell am I, some sort of psychiatrist giving you a psychoanalysis? Woosh! Lol, sorry, I probably should have warned you, when you ask me for advice/opinions on a topic, you're going to get that, and a whole lot more until you're pounding your head to try and make me stop talking and wondering why you were stupid enough to ask me a question in the first place. Guess it's just a bad habit of mine... -- Anyway... so you go to _the_ art school? Pray tell, what is _the_ art school? Sorry, but I don't like my own schools well enough to pay attention to the names of others. -- As to the kids' and Kikyo's song (which I very nearly strangled her for everytime she said it), I don't know if it is an actual song, but in the anime it was used an awful lot whenever Kikyo got near children, so I figured I just use it. I could hardly go and use a modern day song, even if it was on in Japanese. Can you imagine Inuyasha singing something like "Fukai Mori" to Miroku?... Well I can't, and if you can you've got a better imagination than me. -- I'm glad you don't mind how long it takes me to respond, but to me, when it comes to updating, a week literally feels like a month. It's strange, I know, but the other day I was certain I hadn't updated one of my stories in over a week, and I looked at it and it had barely been 4 days. I don't know why it is, but it does help keep me updating faster, which everyone really seems to enjoy. Well, everyone except people who don't like the story that is. --Glad you're enjoy it still, and, as long as you leave a message (and I don't accidentally skip over it) I'll always respond!

-Bluer Sky - Lol, now why does everyone say that? Inuyasha has a mind, doesn't he? He's from the same bloodline as Sesshomaru, so of course he has to! But yet, whenever he seems to start using it, people are looking at him like he's a nutjob. Even in the anime they wouldn't let him be contemplative... sighs poor little Inu, nobody can cut him a break. -- I don't know when Inu is going to see Kagome. I know she hasn't been in there a lot lately, but that's because I've been focusing on Inuyasha and then Miroku. I'm sorry if you miss her (I sure as hell don't ) and I'll try and get her in soon, but, as I'm sure I've told you, this story isn't in my control. I have no ability to direct it in anyway. All I can do is give random ideas to my muses and hope that it nudges them along in that direction.

-Black Betty - Lol, well I'm sorry that this update took so long... I know what you mean, my teachers are more than a little difficult as well. And I don't get spring break until the end of this week! 

-Jennie555 - Lol, yep, 52 and counting! Lol, people now seem to be caught between telling me that I've got a lot of chapters and this is becoming one of the longest fics they've read, to asking me when it's gonna end. Actually, I rather prefer the first one, since it seems less like people are eager to get this story over with... Lol, anyway, believe me, I don't know where I find the time for this writing either, since this story has only been up for about 4-5(?) monthers, and I've been torn between it and all my other little stories. Guess I'm just amazing! -- Gomen that this chapter has taken so long-- the next one will probably take a while as well... writer's block, can't be helped... 

-xolovexinuyasha - Yeah, I am soooo sorry about that. I don't know what happened, since, for some reason, you're last review caught my attention more than the other's. I went back as soon as I saw your message and posted a reply to your last review at the top of the chapter, but I don't know if you saw it or not... anyway, I am very, very sorry, and I'll try not to let it happen again! 

-Inume-blue - Lol, well, if you don't care if they sing well or not, then everyone can sing. I was actually more surprised that I made him sing in general, than just that he could. My muses never cease to amaze and scare the shit outta me. -- Lol, yes that mad sense, and It's really awesome to know that you think that. It seems like it's a very hard task to accomplish when you word it in that manner... -- Well, I don't know, to me it looks like you spelled "to save my life" just fine...

-Kitsama - Well, I can understand why most authors don't touch on it. Face it, in the anime Inuyasha doesn't get much interaction with anyone other than Kagome that isn't brash or harsh toward them, or unfair toward him. Seriously, he should probably learn to get a bit of a grip on his attitude (although that is why we love him) and they need to learn that Kagome isn't _always_ right. Very rarely in fact. Anyway, they hardly have a buddy-buddy relationship going for them, especially since Inuyasha sure seemed ready to turn on him in that episode "Farewell, days of my use." Still, keeping in mind that they do travel together and do worry about each other, I thought I'd soften and knit their relationship a bit closer together in this. -- Now, quite personally, I cannot usually leave Sango out of a story, because if I do, then I have no female counterbalance to stop me from strangling the life out of Kagome. Since Kagome and Kikyo however are both in this story, I had to take it out a little bit on all are other fav characters in general just to keep the plot going. Seriously, I don't like either of those characters very much. But Kagome is much more tolerable than Kikyo I suppose, even if her voice is almost enough to make my ears bleed. -- Yes, I am that kind of author. What was your first clue-- Naraku-slave Inuyasha? The hanyou being captured by Kiyko after all his memories were erased? Kagome locked in a prison with no food or anything? Or Miroku being in a fairly fatal situation with his wind tunnel? Yep, I love my angst, and I am a fairly sadistic person (one of my fav shows is AFV) so the more angst and turmoil I can put them through, the happier I am! -- Me? Beta? ... EEP! hides under desk I don't think that would be a very good idea. Trust me, I don't even beta my own stories... and when I do, I usually miss everything. I think I might be a little ADD (hence the way my plots always jump about so much) so I can't focus on things like that very well... No offence to you, I haven't actually read any of your stories, but I just am not cut out to be a beta. Although I recently almost became one by accident do to a failure on my part to stress the fact that I am not a good beta... Anyway, gomen, but I think I have to decline. If I knew of any beta's you could use, I'd recommend them, but, since I don't personally use a beta, an never have, I don't actually know any, so I can't really be any help in that department... Okay, tell me I made at least a little sense and didn't come off as a complete maniac in that, and I'll be very happy and surprised indeed... Still, I understand what you're saying about having a beta. Perfect spelling and grammer ain't everything-- and I can say that because I don't have them! It's nice to be certain... But I'm just not the right person to do that sort of thing... comes out from under desk Ah! That's better! It's much easier to type from up here! Still, if you want, I can see if anybody here wants to be your beta!

-kaginufan88 - Lol, yep, every story need fill-in chapters, although that wasn't actually supposed to be one of them. It was actually supposed to give us a bit of Inu-Miroku interaction (even if one was asleep) since I don't know how much more of that there is going to be once the other's show up... Or should I say, _if_ the other's show up. Lol-- I don't know about the album, I haven't heard that many songs by Evanescence. I like Bring me to life, Haunted and Lies by them for certain, but I'm not sure about any of the other songs. I understand what you're saying though-- she does have a very unique and (no pun intended) haunting voice, and I too try and sing along with her... unfortunately, my own voice sounds like somebody's strangling a cat, and so it doesn't exactly work out all that well... Still, I've been told I'm one of the best singers in my family! Which isn't saying much since none of them can sing worth a damn! -- Lol, I should introduce you to my dad-- he likes bands like the eagles too. Not me. I suppose my genre would be rock, but, in general, I just listen to whatever comes on, and, if I like it, I'll add it to my playlist. Trust me, my songs are very mismatched-- I'd have something like "What we're all about" by sum41, then go to something completely opposite, like Greensleeves or something like that. Not that I listen to a lot of classical or anything (if that even is classical) but that's definitely a song that appeals to me. I don't know why... -- No, I'm sorry, I currently only have virtual pocky. If I had real pocky, I would have no way to share it with you anyway, so that would kinda such... -- and don't worry, if I ever date someone from, or go to Japan, I'll be sure to do that. Though I don't think that'll happen anytime soon. Then again, a few years ago we almost moved to China, but that's hardly the same thing...

-Wish-full Thinker - Lol, yeah I understand what you're saying. I don't know if I entirely agree with you, because too much of anything can slow everything down, and I like reflections, but I understand where you're coming from. Anyway, you left a comment on one of the other chapters-- a challenge of sorts, or so you claimed it to be "use more imagery, and use "show, not tell" writing. Such as, instead of narrating Kagome's feelings all the time, try to incorporate them into her actions. SHOW the reader what's happening, don't TELL them." Now, I realise it's a little late to be getting back to you on this, and I do admire your faith in me for giving me such a request, but first of all I have to say that, even slightly unsure of how one would go about doing this, do you realise how difficult show not tell can be? To try and express a really deep emotion with just a touch or gesture and not thought or words? Woosh! It doesn't have a plot behind it, but man, when you give a challenge, do you ever give a challenge huh? And who knows, maybe one of these days, if my muses ever get back in working order, I'll take you up on this! After all, I've never been one to back down from a challenge... if it catches my interest, that is. Now I just need to think up a story I can put up with that and then write it... yeesh... -- You're welcome for everything! Even if it is only virtual, whatever helps! -- And you're right, since you got even more of a warning then most people, you probably should have known. Lol, then again, you haven't seen my other fics, which would make my warnings and that fic seem very mild, so I suppose you're not entirely at fault either. You had no idea how bad it could get... still don't for that matter! But at least now you'll tread with a bit more caution, neh? Lol, although I don't think I'll be posting anymore fics like that on this site...

-Almandine-Azaleea - Lol, I personally like Otouto bettter, but, considering Sesshomaru calls Inuyasha that so often, I figured it would be good to turn the tables around on them once in a while.

-Kuroi - Yep, poor Miroku. Don't worry, it'll probably break soon. I didn't go through all this shit to get him healthy and out of there just to have him die on me! (Damn monks)... -- Yep, I am very Canadian! From the land of Canadia, where everything revolves around Hockey and beef. Seriously, people are still incredibly upset about the flame's defeat against Tampa Bay. Have you ever seen those stupid decals people put on their trucks of that little evil guy peeing? Well they've come up with some down here-- the little guy is wearing a flames jacket, and he's peeing on a tampa bay logo. Yeah. Like I said, everything down here revolves around hockey and beef. Still, don't let that, or your encounters with me discourage you from coming down for a visit some day!

-cocoke5 - Really? You think Inu and Sess are like themselves? That's strange, a whole bunch of other people have been saying that they're OOC. IN a good way, mind you, but still OOC.

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, yep, Inu's already lost them all once. I don't think he's quite ready to do that again. -- Sorry I made you cry, btw.

-Box Queen - I'm sorry to hear that. Then again, you wrote that review a few days ago, so maybe you're feeling better now... crosses fingers

-angelwing21 - Oh, that really sucks. My computer broke once... a while ago... I'm still not sure if it's fixed though... it still seems to run just as crappy as it did back then...

-sourapple10000 - Lol, I think it's contageous! I think you gave it to me now! Oh well, I still look forward to seeing another chapter from you... Hope you're feeling better soon!

-Wings of Fayth - Lol, just a thought, just a thought!

Woosh!

Do you guys realise it took me nearly two hours to respond to you all? Woosh! It's a good thing I had some free time on my hands, neh?

Brood

Naraku frowned slightly as he gazed at Kana's mirror.

It told him nothing.

The glass was a dark shade of swirling grey, and refused to shift to reveal anything to him.

Which could mean only one thing.

Someone was interfering with the void's powers.

A very powerful someone at that, to be able to obstruct the mirror like this.

He turned his crimson gaze toward the shielded windows, gazing out at the dark world that surrounded his castle-- the world he had created, but apparently did not entirely control.

'_Someone is conspiring against me.' _He thought with amusement. There was no one left powerful enough in the world to defeat him. He had ensured of that. The only one who stood any sort of chance whatsoever was Sesshomaru now, and, though the demon would never admit it, he knew that Sesshomaru would never put the ningen or toad he dragged along with him at such risk as to leave them unattended for long enough to come and kill Naraku.

It just wasn't a smart thing to do.

The rest of the demons and people who had ever stood a chance he had overturned and usurped so that they _didn't_ stand a chance.

There was no reason why he should worry.

So why then, was something nagging at the back of his mind-- as though telling him he had forgotten someone or something and was a fool for doing so.

Why had a feeling of unease settled around him and his castle?

What was coming?

Who could possibly now have the power to awake such feelings within him, when even the greatest and most proud youkai's had been brought to their knees by him now?

It didn't make sense.

Not any of it.

What could this new complication that had arisen possibly be, and why was he only just sensing it now?

Naraku narrowed his eyes slightly at the window.

Perhaps, as unlikely as it may be, it had something to do with the half-breed dog, Inuyasha? Or maybe Kikyo... Maybe she had found him again and was seeking revenge... or maybe... someone else had found him now and was healing him.

Which would mean that all his work had been undone... the hanyou would come to fight with him again.

And, as unlikely though it may be, he knew the half-breed would have a chance at winning.

Naraku frowned slightly and glanced at Kana.

Even if she was just a void, it was never good to reveal anything, especially fear, in front of her. He had control over her, yes, but, on occasion, he had learned that she had revealed things with her mirror to people like Kagura without his consent.

It wasn't a betrayal necessarily, but still not something he was interested in having used to his disadvantage.

He dismissed her and she left without incident, leaving him to go back to his brooding, wondering who or what was coming and, more importantly, how they were managing all of these things.

Written to the background music of Lies by Evanescence , though I really don't know if that's at all relevant.

Glossary 

Ningen - Human

Youkai - Demon

Hanyou - Half-Demon

**SPECIAL THANKS AND LOTS OF VIRTUAL TREATS FOR: Clouds of the Sky, lunerfox, wolfygirl13, The Grand Dungeon Master, Lord Makura, Jtmscola, Bluer Sky, Black Betty, Jennie555, xolovexinuyasha, Inume-blue, Kitsama, kaginufan88, Wish-full Thinker, Almandine-Azaleea, Kuroi, cocoke5, RamblingPhilosopher, Box Queen, angelwingz21, sourapple10000, **aaaaaaaaaand **Wings Of Fayth **-- Most of whom, thanks to my bad influence, seem to have become ranters-in-training!

CMoC: Wires - Athlete, We are one tonight - Switchfoot, Perfect - Simple Plan, Crazy - Simple Plan, We Believe - Umm... Good Charlotte, Weapon - Matthew Good Band, Calling all angels - Train, Blurry - Puddle of Mudd, Away from me - Puddle of Mudd, For you - Staind, Lies - Evanescence, I write Sins, Not Tragedies - Panic! the Disco, and (what I think may very well be my new fav song!) So far away - Staind ( -- Seriously, you should check the last one out! That is, if you think I've had any good taste in music thus far... )


	54. Easy to Manipulate

A/N: Okay people, here's something... interesting for you to do if you're bored.

Find out what your chinese zodiac symbol is!

Lol, maybe it's weird, but when you're really bored and have writers block, you'll try anything!

You can take a look at this website to find out yours if you like... h t t p // pages . infinit . net / garrick / chinese / -- (without the spaces of course) ... If not, then... well whatever... It's just for fun after all!

Okay, so what else is new... Oh yeah, this story made a c2 list! It's now part of the C2 "myriad sorts"!

It's kinda interesting, since this C2 seems to both insult and praise the stories it adds to itself ... "...why not share some of the stories that grew from nothings to the best on the net." --- Now c'mon, I know "chained" won't ever win a pulitzer or anything, but was it really nothing? Lol, never mind, don't answer that.

Woosh, well I'm in a very weird mood and apparently I actually decided to rant a little without talking to one person directly... been a while since I did that...

Anyway, now I'm gonna get back to the most important part of this-- The reviewers!

-Clouds of the Sky - Damn... caught onto my plan did ya? Hm... I'll have to find some way of silencing you... Lol, I actually have no interest in world domination (at least as far as everybody else is concerned) or in making you my slave. Just so long as people keep on readin, that's all I want...

-xolovexinuyasha - Yeah, I knew it was either Kanna or Kana, but it's hard to tell sometimes... And I've seen quite a few people spell it "Kana" so I just revert back and forth between the two and hope one day I'll figure it out... Gatorball... Soccer and Football combined? Woosh... well that sound interesting. I myself have never played Gatorball, but... Y'know, if you say it's soccer and football combined to some people who consider football and soccer to be the same thing, you could very easily cause a good deal of confusion... I personally prefer the term "Football" since it makes more sense (despite the fact that I'm not from england or anything)... as Craig Ferguson said "I don't know why they call it soccer-- maybe they play it in their socks..." Anyway, you're talking to me about pain and misery in your review now, and here I am ranting away about soccer/football thing ... Hang on, give me a second to get out of rant mode and into sympathetic mode... Okay, I think I did it ... Ouch, that sound really painful. I actually am not a sports fan so I don't really know all that much about soccer anyway, but I do know about the sun and it can really hurt like a bitch when you get burned... Lol, no offence, but you're experience isn't exactly all that encouraging to us non-sport types. Yeah, come out, kick a ball around, fall and hurt yourself repeatedly and then go home and clean the floors!... Hm. Wow, I guess I'm not in full-on sympathetic mode yet... gomen... I'll try harder next time... Seriously though, that does sound painful... Maybe this'll make you feel a bit better though-- have you ever walked into a door? Like I mean a sliding glass/screen door? Well I have. I've walked into both. The screen door though is what I'm telling you about. Not because it hurt though, but because this story usually makes people laugh. It was really dark outside and it was summer, so we had the sliding glass door open. I had come inside a minute ago and I think I left the screen door open so that I wouldn't have to open it again when I got back. Only when I came back it was no longer open. And because it was night, I couldn't see the screen. So I walked right up to the door... and went right on through it. Well, actually, I didn't go so much through it as I tore it right out from it's track and sent it crashing to the ground in front of me. Just goes to show you what a good-quality screenng we had-- surprisingly enough, the screen didn't tear under the pressure... I'm not sure why I decided to tell you this story since it had no relation to what we were talking about, but if it made you laugh (even if you're already in a good mood) then it was definitely worth telling! -- Oh, and I'm glad to here about you and your sister... only I'm a little confused... aren't all siblings in a never-ending feud? Or do you mean a feud like Inu and Sess's? -- BTW, I don't mind if you "stole my idea" since it's not originally my idea. I'm not the first person to tell people what music I currently want to listen to and I won't be the last. Besides, I enjoy learning what types of music other people listen too anyway. -- Woosh, how was that for a rant? oo 0.o oo

-Bluer Sky - Lol, ooooookay, well maybe I should give you sometime to think about what you've said... Actually, I think I understand what you're trying to say, and I know where you're coming from... I'm trying to get more of Kag and Sango in here, but it's really difficult since my muses have all practically gone on strike and are being real asses about how I write this story out anyway. And that's author-god_dess_ to you!

-Inume-Blue - Yeah... That's all I guess...?... Sorry again that I can't help you... I ain't no good at being a beta though... Still, again, if you want, I can ask some of the people here, I'm sure some of them would be glad to help! -- Oh, and thanks for the virtual pills! I don't know if they did anything, but this chapter is up now, so maybe they did actually help... in which case, you could really have something going there...

-Jtmscola - Well, you're not "sitting out of life" per se, you're just not interacting with other people or doing anything that's physically active. And that's not even completely right, since you're technically interacting with me and whoeever else you may talk to while reading through this... Did that make any sense? Yeesh, all that work and it doesn't even make a difference since I get what you're saying anyway. -- I'm glad that you enjoy reading this stuff and that it can make you feel part of the writing-- I am trying to accomplish something along those lines. A story is only as good as it's reader's after all, and if I can't make the reader's feel like they're part of it, then how can I ever hope to make it at all good? Besides that, I just enjoy talking to you people . Anyway, now I've lost my train of thought... Okay, so let see... scans over review to find place ... Oh yeah! Okay, so I get why you don't talk to them about it-- I feel the same way about a lot of things (like nobody I know knows I write fanfiction ) but not all that much. As I said before, no matter what you're doing, chances are, if you were able to think up doing it, then there's probably someone else out there doing it too. Hows that saying go? -- "Do what you want in life. You'll never please everybody, but if you do what you want, then at least one person will be happy." But then again, doing what you want and talking about it are entirely different matters. And if I was in your situation, I probably would have found something similar to that that I wouldn't want to talk about. Then again, I usually just rant off about anything I want to no matter who I'm talking to, or I simply don't talk at all. A-- Oh, hang on a second, my sister is tearing apart the ceiling. Literally! -- Bleargh! Now I've got flaky ceiling crap in my eyes! -- Lol, okay, so I can't remember anything I was saying, but I think I was rambling on again, so I'm gonna start over and hopefully make it shorter and with more sense-- I understand why you don't talk to your friend about it since it can get kinda awkward when you're trying to talk about something everyone else dislikes for some reason... Even if it doesn't make sense why they don't like it. Cause when you think about it, there are lots of things out there that should be declared immature and aren't-- Well, like LotR for example... Think about it, basically it's about some pointy-eared midget people (for lack of a better term at the moment ) that have to take a magic ring that could destroy the earth to "mount doom" before it falls in the lands of their greatest enemy, who happens to be a giant eye. Not a very flattering summary, but fairly accurate nonetheless. However, in that the "deeper meanings" that you talked about happen to be much more obvious, and they are more appealing to older audiences. Where as in anime you have to look a bit harder for them. Anime is made typically for enjoyment-- there's not exactly a lot of major angsty plots behind it, and I think most "mature" audiences find it harder to grasp and sit through things like that. But then again, I may just be looking too much into this... And I have similar experiences with the "I'm going to watch a program" thing. I've done it with my parents before. I don't know why, I just never really cared to tell them I was watching a japanese cartoon about a half-demon and a girl who could travel back in time. I have now though, and my mom has given me the talk that "just as long as you know this isn't real." I told her that I understood it was a cartoon/comic book and wasn't really gonna happen (parents!). However, I also informed her that, should I ever meet Inuyasha, I shall either have to retract that statement, or inform him that he isn't real and turn myself into the mental institute. (Woosh, bet you're wishing I'd shut up now, but I'm not done yet! ) -- Media art? That sound really cool! So you're learning to design like computer game things and stuff like that? That sound really awesome! I myself am a sketch artist. My weapons of choice: A mechanical pencil and printer paper. Lol, what can I say, colour is _not _my friend. My mother has been pestering me lately to try and get into some sort of art program, but, in all honesty, I don't think I could stand it. As Avril Lavigne once said "I hate guitar lessons. I hate lessons in anything. I hate that somebody tries to teach you something." I actually consider that quote to be very true, since I've never liked to be taught things. If I want to learn something, then I'll damn well learn it on my own! Lol, what can I say, it's one of my personal little quirks. -- And again, I get what you're saying -- Anime, art and games or sports and frats? Hm. I'd probably go with the first one as well, though not just because I don't like sports or Frats much. You probably get enough of the sports topic when you're with your friends, and there you can get a change and talk about pretty much anything without drawing unwanted comments of immaturity. But then, that's like exactly what you just said isn't it? Frig! There you go! My rant-mode is on overdrive right now! Yeesh. I really need to learn how to shut up... Anyway, I'm glad that I can help you "get some of this stuff of your back" -- I seem to be doing that a lot with people lately, and have turned this area above the story into a one-on-one chatroom more than a little rant place. Still though, if you ever want to just talk about anything not related to the story (or sports, since I'll probably drop dead because I have a very low attention span for them) you can always email me-- -- Your real life name is James? What's wrong with that?

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Lol, yep Sess is showing a bit of emotion now, even if it is OOC. Although, now that I think about it, Sess showing emotion is very likely a sign of the apocalypse.

-Almandine-Azaleea - Lol, well that's a funny thing. I actually think what cured my writers block was writing out another one-shot fic (although I don't know if I'll post it-- I'm not very happy with the ending). I'm glad you like my little "one-liners"

-wolfygirl13 - So, basically what you're saying is the chaos and disorder is starting to slow down just a little bit at the Choc factory? Although, I do think you ought to make chibi-Naraku an appointment with his psychiatrist sometime soon. Even though I don't much like psychiatrists. So maybe you should just borrow a straitjacket and some medication from one instead of actually taking him down there... Or you could just cut off his sugar supply. That might actually do it! -- Yep, everybody's heard of that book, although now they might have to change the title "Chibi's are from mars, and women _still_ rule venus (even after being attacked by Sesshomaru's army" Actually, I think the other way was catchier. Maybe we should just leave it alone. -- Chibi-Sesshomaru. Helium. In the chocolate factory. Why is this setting off little panic alarms in my mind? -- Anyway, hope you find Rin and Shippo soon (although he is a fox, and they do tend to be good at hiding) and I certainly hope this ranting is contagious-- at least then I don't look quite as bad and I'm not alone in doing it!

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, yep the bastard is back! But now he'll probably drop off the face of the earth again for a while. I'm fairly certain Kagura's alive, but I can't be sure. I haven't decided whose dead yet-- for all I know the Shichinin-tai could be alive! Again. You'd have to ask my wacky out-of-control muses, but I doubt you'd get a straight answer from them anyway. -- Two months... yeesh. Sorry, that's probably not so bad to some authors, but to me, considering how bad the need to update usually strikes me, that's like telling me you didn't update for a year! Still, I know of some authors who only update once or twice a year... 

-lunerfox - Oh... I do? I don't write my chapters because there's nothing else to do though, I write my chapters because that's what I want to do. I love writing, and to me it's an actual entertaining thing, not a way to pass the time. That's an interesting question. To tell you the truth, it all depends on what story I'm writing. For this story, I just type it out (which might explain why the chapters are shorter) but on my other stories I usually write them out and then type them out-- which is quite the triumph, considering I can barely read my own writing. -- A vampire story huh? That sounds interesting. I haven't seen very many good vampire stories out there lately, but there's always time to change that. Alison? What's your real name? Unless your real name is Lunerfox, in which case I can understand why you'd say that. -- Yeah, I think you did ask, but I don't mind repeating myself. I don't exactly watch _any_ given show on a regular basis besides Inuyasha-- I just don't have all that much time. Maybe that _is _where I find the time to write my chapters, instead of watching TV. However, I have seen a few episodes of Yugi-oh gx, .hack/sign and Full metal alchemist. However, Yugi-oh seems to have switched it's time around or something so I'm not sure when it comes on anymore, Full metal alchemist I think I've seen a grand total of four episodes, and I have no idea when it comes on. Bascially .hack/sign and Inuyasha are the only ones that I can honestly say I watch on a regular basis.

-Wings of Fayth - O-kay. Lol, I wouldn't know, I've only listened to the one song by them. And I'll try and get Kagome and Inu together soon, just be patient! Yeesh, so much pressure, my muses just want to screw everything that I said before and make it a bit simpler to get her out... which they very may well do since I have no control over them or the story.

-Box Queen - Well that's definitely good to hear. Lots of people getting sick lately. I'm just waiting for spring to come around so those male trees can start spreading that spore stuff and my nose can go crazy on me. But then, that's an allergy I suppose, not a sickness... -- Yeah, it does suck, but I think I may have discovered my cure for writers block-- write a one-shot. Writer's block, when I get it, usually only extends to one story, so I was able to write a one-shot, and then I came back here and was inspired enough to pump out another chapter. Go me!

-Sexy Kat - Lol, well I don't know if Inuyasha would ever have a best friend (he's just not trusting enough) but they are definitely close. At least in this fic they are. In the anime Miroku seems a little too much on Kagome's side and Inuyasha seems a little too introverted and rash for them to really consider each other as close. Friends, yes, but not really all that close. Also, I don't think you're a baka, but I also am not certain what you mean. Is there any particular part of the chapter you don't get, cause if it's just the whole chapter in general... that could create some problems cause I'm unsure how to explain that... Let me know though and I'll do my best to clear it up for ya! -- Lol, oh, and I like the way you worded that "when are the girl's getting out?" Lol, you make it sound like they're criminals in prison...

Woosh!

I talk too much!

Still though, it's hardly my fault!

There's just a lot of interesting people here to talk to!

Plus, I'm a ranter by nature.

No other excuse for it.

Easy to Manipulate

Sango stared intently at Miroku in the cell across from her.

He gave a little shift, making the candle light flicker over his face, highlighting the beads of sweat covering his forehead.

She sighed.

The illusion really was good.

Maybe a little too good.

It was making her wonder if maybe she had just imagined Amaya coming and taking all the other's away.

Then again, other than those little shifts, the mirage the sorceress had set up hadn't moved in nearly the two days that they'd been gone.

She was actually surprised that the guards hadn't noticed anything, but the bumbling idiots seemed to stupid to even have a single brain-cell split between them, let alone to have the capacity to notice something as complex as mirages set up to hide the fact that they were now guarding empty cells.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when the dungeon door creaked open, and turned to look at the figure descending the stairs, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw that it was only Amaya.

Immediately a million questions flew to her lips, but Amaya held up a hand, and Sango's voice was cut off before it could exit her mouth.

The sorceress moved and quickly opened the cell with the same spell she had seen her use on Miroku's cell countless times before.

She moved to stand up and, with a little aid from Amaya, managed to get to her feet.

'We must hurry and keep silent.' Amaya said, as she trailed a thick, black cloak over her. It shimmered with silver and then the next thing Sango knew her body was no longer there.

Well, not really, but she could no longer _see_ it.

She was not concerned by this, though, since she had seen the sorceress do the same with Miroku, Shippo and Kirara.

'You can walk?' Amaya asked as she crouched down in the corner where "Shippo" and "Kirara" were resting and began to conjure up a "Sango" to take her own place.

Sango moved around a little bit, her legs trembling and weak beneath her, but holding her up nonetheless, before offering the sorceress a small nod.

Amaya nodded.

'Good. I do not want to carry you if I don't have to. Do you think you can survive the stairs?' She asked. Sango glanced at the dark corridor-- the one she had been unconscious the one time she had traveled down it, and had never been through since as far as she could tell.

The sorceress gave another nod, and then brushed past her, moving toward the stairs. 'That's good as well, though I put the guards to sleep just in case you could not.' She said, moving up the stairs slowly, but, for Sango, still at a rather swift pace.

They reached the top, and Sango blinked as they exited out into the corridor.

It wasn't necessarily bright, per se, the dim and rather sickly looking torches being the only means for light, but, when one had been in the dark as long as she had, it was still enough to make her squint. She could hardly imagine what it would be like to see the sun again...

If there even was a sun.

From what she could tell, Naraku had all but sealed the sun from the earth with his miasma, and there was nothing left anymore.

She must have stopped walking without realising it as she considered this, for the next second she felt a gentle but firm shove on her back (which must have been magic, since Amaya was still in front of her) and she was urged into motion again, the force not leaving her again until they reached their destination-- a small glade of stone among a forest of rocky pinnacles, where two fire-horses stood staring at her, waiting for them.

Sango blinked at them.

She had, of course, encountered Fire-horses before, these breed as well perhaps, but that didn't explain why they were here.

Or why she could feel a strange presence among the younger one... not evil or powerful, per se, just... strange. Distrustful almost. Not normal for most animal-youkai.

She was not given time to consider this, for the next second that force was urging her onto the back of one of the youkai, and she moved to comply, before hesitating a moment, looking back at Amaya.

'What about Kagome?' She asked.

Amaya blinked, and then frowned at her.

'What about her?' She asked, and Sango stared at her in slight disbelief.

'You are getting her out too, aren't you?' She asked. Amaya glared.

'Stupid girl! Did you think I was so incompetent as to forget about the miko? I will get her out... I just do not know when...' She trailed off slightly, before fixing Sango with a hard gaze, the force returning to urge her onto the horse. But Sango didn't move, fought against it as best as she could in her weak state.

'I'm not leaving without her.' She said firmly, defiantly. Amaya stared at her.

'I'm sorry?' The sorceress asked in disbelief. Had she not, putting aside her own life and doings, gone to all the work of devising a plan to get all of these wretches free, and then put that into action? Had she not already freed five of them and placed them in a place that assured their safety from Naraku? Was she not now working to set this wench free, as well as the other, all at the risk of her own life and everything else? And now, after all that, this girl still had the audacity to tell her she wasn't going to comply?

'I said I'm not leaving without her. She's been cut off from us for too long-- I can't just leave her behind like that, alone... not again.' The slayer said, her eyes getting a faraway look in them, before fixing once again on Amaya, lit with determination. 'I'm not leaving without her.' She said firmly.

Amaya stared the girl down for a moment.

She could see the determination in her eyes, feel it radiating off of her in waves, and she could tell that, magic or not, this girl was not going to move or leave without her friend.

Amaya mentally sighed, and then narrowed her eyes in a sharp glare.

Dammit it all, why was she always stuck with the resilient ones? Couldn't they just do what she said for once without all their mindless questions?

Sighing, she glanced up at the highest pinnacle of rock there, trying to figure out how she could do this.

There hadn't been enough time yet-- she hadn't been able to device a plan to make certain that she could get Kagome out without being detected soon after...

But she couldn't just leave Sango there-- nor could she really take her back after going to all the trouble of getting her out.

Her only option then, was to retrieve Kagome in the same fashion as the others and hope that, in the end, that worked as well as it had with the others.

She sighed again.

The chances of that were slim to none, which was why she had avoided doing it thus far.

But, when she looked at Sango again, she could tell that she didn't have any other choice.

She turned hardened and angry eyes upon the slayer, who met her gaze without waver, and for several moments they just stared one another down, before Amaya let out an angry huff and turned away, muttering 'Wait here, and do not move nor make any sound while I am gone.' To the figures behind her, and began storming her way back through the maze of rock, back toward Naraku's castle, back to Kagome.

Sango blinked in surprise, not really having expected the sorceress to comply, before sinking to the ground, her legs refusing to support her anymore for the time being.

She let a weak smile cross her face.

Miroku had told her, in one of his moments of strength during this battle against his curse, that Amaya did not seem to have any evil about her-- simply wore it as a facade against the real world, and that she was likely good inside, easy to convince of what was right if she found someone to convince her who could break through her dark exterior.

She hadn't been fully comprehending of his words until now, but now she thought she might have it finally.

'_Basically, what you were saying, Houshi, is that, if you're stubborn enough, Amaya is easy to manipulate.' _She thought, her smile widening at the thought as her eyes drifted closed, sleep claiming her for the time being while she awaited for Amaya and Kagome to come back.

Glossary 

Youkai - Demon

Miko - Priestess

Houshi - Priest (I find this a little strange, since I always considered Miroku a monk, but I suppose this works as well...)

A/N: Lol, I think it only took me an hour and a half to get this chapter ready to put up this time.

**DOMO ARIGATO TO: Clouds of the Sky, xolovexinuyasha, Bluer sky, Inume-blue, Jtmscola, Punk Rock Miko2, Almandine-Azaleea, wolfygirl13, RamblingPhilosopher, luner fox, Wings of Fayth, Box Queen **and **Sexy kat** -- Can't even begin to say how helpful you've all been with this story just by reviewing!

CMoC - Savin' me - Nickelback ( -- I love the music video for this!), So far away - Staind, For you - Staind, Brand new world - V6, Grip - Every Little thing, One day, One Dream - Tackey and Tsubasa, I write Sins, not tragedis - Panic! the disco, Right here - Staind


	55. A Welcome Change

A/N: Hm. Well that was strange...

I thought I'd uploaded this chapter last night (or this morning, depending on how you look at it) but I guess it didn't go... Hm. Oh well, my mind is a little incompetent as of late, so... (seriously-- I am Out Of IT! This morning, instead of my email address, I typed in Needless to say, that didn't work. When I eventually figured it out, I switched it around some. But not enough. Strangely enough, there is no ) The point of this was though, that the summary _did _get updated, and I think this may have caused some confusion among the masses, so gomen for that!

NEway, there's something screwed up with ff (at least on my account) and "chained" has been stuck at 19195 for the past 5 chapters or so... not that I mind, it's just a little weird. And, on that topic, I suppose I'd like to point out that people really shouldn't bother expecting the same # of reviews as they get hits. Especially if they have multiple chapters. If people like the fic, they're going to come back and read it again, and they're not gonna review each time.

Also, sorry to everyone if this seems a little rushed, but that's only because it is. I don't have all that much time right now, and I want to make sure that I got everything in...

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Lol, don't we all? And not just for the loyalty, but take a look at her cool boomerang and pets?

-Kitsama - Lol, yep, stubborn Sango. Can't say I can blame her though... -- I'm glad you get the whole beta thing, it's just really not something I'm good at, and I wouldn't put risk to someone else's story with something like that when there are _much_ more capable people out there who could do _much_ better. -- Still though, if you ever need help in anything else, just ask away and I'll see what I can't come up with and then give you the opposite.

-Box Queen - Lol, well I suppose that works for some people. Not me though. If I were to right a plotless chapter I'd then be stuck in a fanatic stage in which I couldn't focus on anything else but coming up with a plot for said chapter, and then a story. It would just end in the same results anyway, so why bother?

-Black Betty - Yeah, I just couldn't see Sango leaving Kagome behind for some reason... as to the plot twist... well, okay, if that's what you see... I have no idea...

-lunerfox - Yeah, I figured it would be something along those lines. It's a shame that your other name was taken. That's one of the reasons I worked so hard to come up with my name, though it didn't turn out quite the way I wanted. i recently dsicovered that someone has been using this same name on other websites. I have no idea if they just saw me usinag it and liked it or came up with it themselves, and I don't really care. Just so long as _everybody_ doesn't start using it, I'm fine. -- Yeah, sure we can email. I don't always check my email everday (got a lot to do sometimes) but I try. Still, I don't doubt there'd be something interesting to talk about there. my email is gossamercurtain hotmail . com (just is case ff blocks out emails).

-Almandine-Azaleea - Lol, it really fascinates me how different people can enjoy different styles of writing. Some people think the sentences are too short, while other's think they're just right, and still others want them done in a slightly different manner. All I can say to them is, sorry if you don't like, any tips will be accepted, but not necessarily used, and, as I'm sure I've said before, I have no control over what I write. Still, anything that helps your eyes.

-Sexy Kat - Okay, I think I'm getting close to understanding what you're asking, but I'm still not quite there (maybe it's cause it's really late right now and I'm not focusing entirely well), if I could ask you to just clarify a bit more what you're asking, and hopefully my uncooperative mind will get there with the next round. (Baka thing!) -- Also, I understood what you meant about getting the girls out, I was just saying it sounded like that... -- Yeah, I don't know if this is as exciting as people were hoping, but still, it's there... -- And I don't call people baka's. Not seriously anyway. Not unless they deserve it. B-day in six days? Congrats! Happy birthday to you, and all that jazz!

-wolfygirl13 - Lol, sounds like you're getting things under control again. Naraku and Inu playing freeze tag together... now, even as chibi's, that's quite the pciture! Sounds like you've got more than a few nuts in the chocolate factory though... Maybe it's time to get hold of an extra straight-jacket... just to be sure! -- I'm glad you liked my portrayal of Sango-- I had never really given it much thought, but I still like to know when people think I'm portraying a character right. The character's are the main basis of the story after all!

-Wish-full Thinker - Lol, thanks for the tip of the URL. I think I fixed it. Also, I have never actually read "To kill a mocking bird." My sister did, told me a little bit about it, and I very nearly fell asleep. There's just too much... bleargh! When I got to that area, I got to choose between that book and three others, I went with the Chrysalids. It's a good book, but I think it's mostly reflective writing, so I don't know how much you'd enjoy it. Still... -- Anyway, I'll try to keep it in mind. Not that my mind has anything to do with how or what I write (or really anything at all), but I've really got no other place to put it!

-RamblingPhilosopher - Huh? Did I put that? Woosh. -- Lol, yeah, Amaya's using illusions. Not very many other ways to fool Naraku, now are there? Give him a taste of his own medicine I guess. Here's hoping that it'll continue to work! -- I like Kagura too. She's one of the only female characters I have any tolerance for. Sango, Rin and Kagura (and Kirara if she counts) being pretty much all of them. All the other's are waaaaaaaaaaay too over dramatized or annoying or just plain dumb.

-Inume-Blue - Yeesh. Stolen? Wish I could do something to help... Umm, wait, I can give you a virtual 5$! Or even more if you like-- I've got all the virtual money in the world! Probably won't help much with your hunger though... : (

-Wings of Fayth - Lol, I mean exactly what I say. I can form rough ideas over where I want the story to go, but in the end I'm just as surprised as you are as how they turn out. My fingers are completely in control, and I just sort of zone out and let them do the work. -- It's better than trying to fight with them to get the story to go my way.

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, yep, though I think Loyalness has the same meaning as loyalty... o.O I don't know, it's not my word now is it? And that still doesn't change the price of tea in china! -- As the saying goes "Loyalty is very good, but there is such a thing as being _too _loyal." I've been there, done that, bought the t-shirts and sold them worldwide. Loyalty is good, but people will often use it against you... best be careful and watch out for that. -- Nope, don't want world domination. I think wolfygirl13's chibi-Sesshomaru just gave me Pluto to rule, so for now I'm content with that. -- And you're right, you probably didn't need to say that, I can already guess that you like the story just by the fact that you take the time to review it, but still it's nice to hear! My ego could us a little inflation every once in a while!

-Lord makura - Well I actually don't think there is, but don't worry, I'll get back to him. Can't be everywhere at once though, now can I?

-Kuroi - Hm. Well, I don't know much about fighting off rogue pins and needs... maybe you could distract them with some ramen... or else make them "sit". Hey, it works for Inuyasha! Lol, you like oreos too? In that case, have some more.. well, virtual ones anyway... gives virtual oreos.. I'd give you some milk, but I don't think there's anymore left... -- It made you dizzy did it? Huh. That's weird... but then I suppose I get it-- I don't see a lot of other authors out there who take the time like this either. I don't know why. If you're going to spend time writing a story like this, who are you posting it for if not the reviewers? And when you take all the time to update it and such, is it really that difficult to respond to these people? They took the time to respond to you, why not you to them? I just don't understand it... I'm writing this for mine own enoyment I suppose, yes, but the only things that drive me to continue with it are the reviewers. You guys are the extra-special people that fuel my muses, and anyone who puts that time into me, I can sure as hell give back to them. Besides, I like talking to you guys. It gives me an excuse to rant!

"_If Tylonel, Duct-Tape and a Band-aide can't fix it, you have a serious problem..." _-- This seemed somewhat fitting for this chapter, and I think you'll get why later on.

A Welcome Change

Kagome blinked at the bright light that suddenly filled the dark cell, and cringed back slightly.

Someone-- she couldn't say who-- had come down here a while ago, perhaps no more than a day, or maybe even less, she couldn't tell, and had just started... beating her. For no reason that she could fathom. Not that they ever needed a reason.

But she had begun to figure out-- the longer Amaya stayed away, the more daring the guards got in their attacks on her. It made her miss the sorceress all that much more, since she had not been here in more than a week, and Kagome was beginning to think she wasn't returning at all.

So when she saw the sorceress descending the stairs toward her at a rapid pace, she could hardly believe her own eyes.

She quickly scrambled toward the bars.

Or tried to.

But the demon or man or whatever it had been had gotten her very good in a variety of places, and she could not find the energy or strength to pull herself up.

So instead she just lay there, panting faintly from the exertion and watching as the sorceress came toward the bars.

She was terribly surprised when Amaya passed by the little door that food was passed through and instead went over to the main door, muttering some curse under her breath that sent the lock shooting across the room in a surprisingly silent manner.

The sorceress then opened the door wide and moved a little to the side, as though waiting.

However, when whatever she was waiting for clearly did not happen, Amaya cast her a dark look.

'Get up, ningen. We are leaving.'

Kagome gaped at her, and again attempted to sit up, but a pain shot through her chest, and she grit her teeth, stifling a small cry before easing herself slowly back to the ground.

However, these small actions were enough to betray to the sorceress how much pain she was actually in, and in a second Amaya was crouching beside her, forcing her shirt up and prodding around her ribs and abdomen.

Kagome might have protested the sudden molestation of her torso, but then Amaya's fingers hit a sudden spot, and she was forced to cry out in pain instead.

Amaya frowned and prodded the spot again, and Kagome's teeth ground together.

'You are hurt.' The sorceress said after a moment, and the more sarcastic part of Kagome's mind, which had become quite well-developed since her time spent here, quickly jumped to attention with a '_No really? What gave you **that** idea?' _That she managed to stifle only through sheer will to remain quiet.

After all, breathing hurt, and talking did even more, so why should she waste energy on sarcasm that would not be appreciated and was really not needed?

Amaya sighed agitatedly.

'I should have known you'd let something like this happen if I left you alone.' She said in a chastising tone, and Kagome glared.

'_Oh right, like I **wanted** this to happen.' _Her mind threw in again.

'_Perhaps not, but you let it happen nonetheless.' _The sorceress's voice answered back in her own mind, and Kagome gasped slightly, immediately regretting the action and letting out a small wince of pain. Not that that helped, that activity just caused pain to shoot through other areas of her body.

In fact, most activities caused her pain now (not that there were a lot of them, but still) and she had long ago given up on finding an activity that _didn't _hurt and was currently just looking for which one hurt the least.

'Well then, it looks like I'll just have to carry you out of here.' The sorceress said, while Kagome was still contemplating her voice inside her head, while wincing once again at the idea of being moved about.

'_Maybe I'm insane...' _She wondered, while another part of her threw in '_Gods, this is gonna hurt so much!' _

Amaya frowned and turned toward her. '_You are not insane, I have the ability to speak into anyone's mind whom I wish to, and see the thoughts of the more open of them.' _

'And I am more than capable of carrying you about, ningen. I have managed with both your monk friends and your hanyou and little kitsune and neko. You doubt that I could find transportation suitable for your current state?'

Kagome blinked at the sudden onslaught of conversation and then shook her head, which, of course, hurt, sending bolts of pain racing one another through her skull, and she immediately ceased the action.

'That's not what I meant, I'm just in a lot of pain, and I didn't know you could speak back to me in my mind.' She sighed as her headache began to swell and looked at the ceiling that suddenly seemed to think spinning around in circles was a very good idea indeed. It did not help that the rest of the room had decided to go spinning off in the _opposite _direction either. 'Shit. I could use some Tylonel right now.' She said, not caring that she was swearing. She had given up long ago on "proper" language, and had adopted a slang more similar to Inuyasha's. Somehow it made it easier to deal with being down here because it reminded her so much of him.

Amaya cocked an eyebrow at her. 'Tylonel? What is this Tylonel you speak of? Some sort of medication?'

'I guess you could say that.' Kagome rasped out, the words scraping against her dry throat as she watched Amaya move about the cell, gathering up her grimy and torn textbooks and other things. 'It's for things like headaches and minor injuries.'

'You're injuries are far from minor.' Amaya said offhandedly. 'This Tylonel of your would do you no good. You have at least one broken rib, and I'd say your shoulder may be dislocated as well. And I have yet to examine the rest of your body.'

Kagome sighed and shut her eyes against the spinning room, but that didn't help because, while she could no longer _see_ the motion, she could still _feel _it and somehow that was worse.

'Maybe I should consider morphine then.' She muttered, not actually realising she had said it out loud until Amaya's voice reached her again.

'Another "medicine" of yours? Does it have the power to heal broken bones?' Kagome mentally shook her head, wondering if the sorceress could detect mental "body-language."

'It's not a medicine. Not really anyway. It's a drug-- it takes away the pain for a little while, but it's really dangerous cause you can get hooked on it.'

'"Hooked?"' The sorceress inquired, and Kagome opened her eyes to focus on her again.

She was crouching down in the darkest and dingiest corner of the cell (which wasn't saying much) and muttering some sort of spell under her breath.

'Yeah... like addicted. You're body starts to crave it, and you have to get more of it to feed the addiction, but it gets bigger and bigger each time, and the drug has less and less results. It's not a pretty scenario.'

Amaya didn't really respond to that, but her hands started to emit a blue light out in front of them, that slowly began to change itself into a sort of vapour, and then a gas-like substance, before finally seeming to solidify and begin to take shape.

Kagome watched in amazement as the light slowly began to materialize into a human body, before adding colours to itself and coming out... to look exactly like her.

'What the fuck?' Kagome demanded loudly, causing both Amaya and the figure to look over at her.

The new "Kagome" was breathing in the same shallow manner that she was, and there were cuts and grime all over her face.

Amaya smirked.

'Kagome, meet your clone.'

Kagome looked at her in astonishment. She had a clone!

'_She's not really a clone-- more a mirage of sorts, but more solid than that. She'll be playing you while we're gone.' _Amaya's voice said in her head, and Kagome stared wide-eyed between the two figures for a moment.

'She... looks just like me...' she said in astonishment, and Amaya inclined her head. 'For the most part, yes, but she does have one defining trait.' That said, she reached toward the hem of the clone's tattered shirt and pulled it up slightly revealing...

Kagome frowned and squinted at the figure, but could not see what Amaya was trying to show her. After a moment she turned a confused gaze upon Amaya. 'What exactly are we looking at here?' She asked, and Amaya cocked an eyebrow.

'You don't _know_?' She demanded, and, at Kagome's thought of negation, she sighed. 'The mirage has no navel!' She exclaimed, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, and Kagome was a complete baka for not noticing it.

Kagome frowned at looked back at the mirage. Indeed, now that it had been pointed out to her, she could see that there was no belly-button present where one should have been.

'_And **that's **supposed to be a defining trait?' _She thought in disbelief. No one would _ever_ notice that!

Amaya snorted. 'That is sort of the point, ningen. No one is _supposed _to notice it. Now' The sorceress stood up and slowly approached her. 'Come on, lets get you up. Sango's waiting out there for you, and I have no idea how long it will be before someone discovers her.'

Kagome's eyes widened as the sorceress moved toward her.

'But... won't this hurt? I mean, shouldn't we reset my shoulder or something first?'

Amaya cocked an eyebrow. 'No, that'll hurt more. Besides, I have herbs to dull the pain and quicken the healing for you that will save you a _lot _of pain, but I don't have them with me. Besides... this shouldn't even hurt you a bit.' She said. Kagome frowned at her in disbelief, but the next second she felt something surround her and lift her into the air.

She gasped slightly in surprise, expecting to be hurt by the sudden movement, but, in all truth, the gasp itself hurt more than the moving.

Amaya smirked at her.

'Just don't wiggle around, or you'll fall.' She told her, before draping a silvery-black cloak across her form and promptly walking away toward the stairs, Kagome "following" behind her at a gentle pace, but, for all she could tell, she could have been wooshing around faster than the speed of light and it wouldn't have hurt.

This actually felt better than lying still on the ground, or even in her own bed. Literally like she was lying on air.

And, as Amaya had said, as she had felt certain wasn't true, it didn't hurt at all.

Which was quite a change from all her past days spent down here.

Quite a change indeed, and a very welcome one at that.

Glossary

Ningen - Human

Hanyou - Half-Demon

Kitsune - Fox

Neko - Cat

Baka - Fool, idiot, moron...

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry if this escape seems really simple thus far. I didn't exactly say though that it would be complicated... just that, once Naraku found out, it would be dangerous. And, at the moment, I am much too tired to think of anything more complicated. I know, I know, it's probably really crappy of me, but there's nothing for it... If I came up with anything more complicated, it would likely take me _chapters _just to get Kagome out of there... And I still don't know if it's going to yet! 

Anyway, I seriously should get going before people start biting my head off, so I guess I'll wrap this up now.

**SPECIAL THANKS AND LOTS OF TREATS TO: Punk Rock Miko2, Kitsama, Box Queen, Black Betty, lunerfox, Almandine-Azaleea, Sexy Kat, wolfygirl13 **(good luck with the insanity in the chocolate factory! )**, Wish-full thinker **(thanks again for your advice-- always appreciated, if not always used )**, RamblingPhilosopher, Inume-Blue, Wings of Fayth, Clouds of the Sky, Lord Makura **and **Kuroi **(have the pins and needles left you alone now?)

--You guys are really great! Thanks so much for all your support! --

CMoC - We're not gonna take it - Twisted Sister, Dance Dance - Fall out boy, Once in a While - Dishwalla, Fly - Hilary Duff (Even if it does pain me to admit it), Fukai Mori - Do as Infinity, In the land of twilight, under the moon - See-Saw(?), Fade - Staind, Everywhere - Michelle Branch, Montreal Calling - (Can't remember), Trip - Hedley, wherever you will go - The Calling, and Savin' me - Nickelback


	56. Miko and Taijiya

A/N: Holy shit, you guys have no idea how hard it was to get this chapter out.

Writers block decided to come back and plague me again, and I've been beating my brains out for the last couple of days just trying to get a chapter out! Woosh!

Luckily enough, I have that kind of time now since I'm out of school...

Anyway, got a few reviews to answer, so I guess I'll get right to that

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Lol, well if you had no navel and were at all like Kagome's "clone" then she probably wouldn't notice that you had no navel so much as you never ever moved or spoke or ate or did anything else...

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, but what happens when Advil runs out? ... shudders... never mind, I don't want to think about it. -- Lol, well no bellybutton for my clones anyway. It's true though, bellybuttons have no purpose. They're something humans came up with because after they cut the umbilical chord, they seemed to think the best thing to do with the remaining bits was tie them in a knot. However, I don't think having no bellybutton would change you having a scar... you'd still have it, it just wouldn't be on your navel anymore... Hopefully it's not too bad though... -- Lol, yep. I hate Kikyo mostly because she's only got three purposes: 1)To create an unessecary love interest, 2)to point out the obvious and repeat herself over and over just to make sure our simple minds consumed everything she had to say and 3) to annoy the hell out of us. However, at least her voice isn't all high-pitched and squeaky. That's one good thing about her. Seriously though, Kagura, Sango and Kirara are the only females (I actually don't know if Kirara would be considered a woman or a female-neko... probably both) who can defend themselves who aren't annoying as all hell (Kagome, in my opinion, is completely usless-- and only when she opts to fire her arrows that fly off in miraculous directions and don't actually _connect_ with her enemies, but rather blow them to smithereens as their aura brushes past them does anything actually happen with her) and Rin is just plain cute and bubbly and likeable, which probably has a lot to do with the fact that she's so unlikely. Who honestly, when we first met Sess and Jaken, would have pictured a girl with her personality traveling along with either of them for any reason? -- I think I may have heard tangerine dream at one point in time... can't remember though. Sesshomaru's theme is called "Gou"? o.o

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, well we'll see. You never know what he (or I for that matter) have got planned. And not all his prisoners are gone... just the main gang... there are still who knows how many nameless characters, not to mention a few not-so-nameless characters that everyone seems to have forgotten about... -- Yay! My Ego thanks you! -

- Black Betty - Lol. Guess you guys have been waiting for that for a long time... 55 chapters to be exact... Yeesh, you guys must have the patience of a saint!

-Kuroi - Lol, well I'm glad the pins and needles are leaving you alone again.

-Lord Makura - Well yeah she has a clone... but it's just like the Miroku and Sango one's y'know... Really more of a mirage than anything... I don't think they can move or talk or do anything like that... they're just distractions...

-Wish-full thinker - Lol, that seems to be catching a lot of people's attention. Yep, no navel. The simpsons... erm... no. I think I've seen about eight episodes of it, and I don't want to see any more. -- Lol, maybe I shouldn't... I guess.. -- No, I haven't read to kill a mockingbird. I got a choice between that and three other books. Since my sister had read to kill a mocking bird (and since it didn't sound particularly interesting) I went after the one that sounded the most interesting to me. The Chrysalids. And I really liked it.

-ultimateromantic - Lol, well maybe next chapter... Do you think you can last that long? C'mon, you've made it through 55 chapters already, another couple can't hurt... They can drive you insane, but a little insanity never hurt anyone...

-Black Betty - Lol. I understand. I'm a little ADD myself. As soon as I finish typing out a responce (or even just a sentence) I almost immediately forget what I've just said. Still, somehow I manage to be... vaguely coherent. -- Lol, everybody seems to like the bellybutton part. I was just doing it because... well I don't really know why, but now everybody likes it...

-ladyx12 - Lol, I'm making Sess and Inu act gay? Well I don't know about that, maybe I am... However, I could make them act a _lot_ more gay, and I really don't think that'd be any better either... Maybe they will fight eventually, but you have to remember, Inuyasha is still healing and has been through all hell and back, and now has to look after his injured friend... it's probably a lot of emotional strain for him, and the only one he's got to help him is Sesshomaru who, because I said so, has decided to help him. You can't expect them to just fall back into their old routines so simply. Maybe a bit later on though... if you think you can wait... -- Amaya and Sesshomaru hook up? Huh. Now that is definitely something I hadn't thought of before... Sesshomaru hooking up with a human sorceress. But then again, I suppose he did revive Rin and let her and Jaken trail him around everywhere, and refuse his arm when offered before... why not? Lol, still I don't know if I'll do that though.. definitely keep it in mind though. -- You really are quite the idea person though aren't you? I had thought about Rin and Kohaku, but I figure they'd likely have to wait a couple years since Kohaku's only eleven (or twelve depending on how much time has really passed) and Rin is only 9 (or 10) seems a little young to be dating back then...

-Bluer Sky - Lol, just remember that the next time you call me that!

-Inume-Blue - Lol, a lot of people are saying that lately... Which either means I'm a better writer than I originally thought, or you are all very easy to please lunatics. Either way, I'm not about to complain.

-sourapple10000 - Well you're going to have to wait... just a little bit longer.. think you can handle that?

-wolfygirl13 - Lol! -- There's another saying about duct-tape that I always liked "Duct-tape is like the force-- it has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together." That's very true. Especially if you're Red Green. -- You made rockets. Out of Candy. And tried to launch them. ... Huston, we have a problem... Lol, I imagine that situation is quite out of control by now... But I've got some mops and buckets and anything else that might help clean up that mess... and a club so you can hit whoever came up with that idea over the head. I don't care if I do get rubber duckies thrown at me, c'mon, what were you thinking chibi-Sesshomaru! Hm. Never mind. I'll wait for him to... sober up? What do you call it when someone is getting high and passing out on candy? o.O Good thing he has you around I guess. Wait... swords? Ooookay... Lets try not to panic shall we? But, seriously, how safe can a "high" nearly-passed-out Sesshomaru with swords and the intention to take over neptune in a candy rocket be? -- I should focus on him more? But I don't have a chibi-Sess in my story... Unless of course you mean your anime-counterpart. Hm. Focus on him more. Yeah. I'm sure everybody would love that. Or they'd just kill me. Just when I get so close to Inu and Kag I suddenly start talking about Sess. Lol, still, I probably should see if I can't get something else about him in... he's still one of my fav characters after all. -- And no, you're wrong about rambling. You're not rambling too much. You can never ramble too much, or else there would be some sort of word limit on how much you could ramble.

-Almandine-Azaleea - Oh you weren't imposing. I seriously don't mind-- I like it when people give me their ideas or whatever. It's always interesting, and sometimes even sparks new ideas in me.

-Jtmscola - Wow. I'm surprised that my last little rant didn't completely scare you off. Lol, it has happened before! -- Yep, Kagome's coming out and things are coming together (hopefully) Now we'll just have to see how long that can last... -- Lol, yeah, parents can be a bit out of it. I've been trying to get my mom to understand the idea of Inuyasha, but she still insists on calling him stuff like Inuyashie and I don't know if she even _knows _how to pronounce Sesshomaru's name. shakes head and sighs I should just face facts-- it's a lost cause. Still, it's nice that she tries... I just hope Inuyasha is the last thing she tries for... -- Hey, television is still really cool! I don't personally know all that much about it, but... I can understand why you got into it. And don't worry-- I don't think very many artists out there can draw a good box. Why would anyone want to draw a box anyway? I've been drawing most of my life, but only recently have I actually gotten good. My specialty is copy-art though (since I don't have an actual name for it). And no I don't mean tracing. Just copying pictures and stuff. Anyway, we're talking about you, not me (am I self-centered or what! ) -- Lol, well that's fine. About your name I mean. You can't be original all the time. If everybody were original all the time it wouldn't be called originality. I don't know what it would be called, but not that. And besides, even if it's not the most original idea, it's still an original name, seeing as nobody else has it (or at least has used it). Not that I've seen anyway. When did I first start getting into anime? Hm. I don't really know. I supposed technically that would be when I used to watch TV shows like Pokemon, but since I ddn't really know there was a difference between them and the other cartoons that doesn't really count. After that I used to play this RPG called Runescape and I had a friend on there who was like obsessed with Inuyasha. I caught a few episodes of it but not very many, so that kinda fell flat after a while. Then a person brought an art book of their to school, talking about how he liked to draw anime, and that's when it first began to really click with me exactly what anime was. Only for the past year or so have I been a serious fan of it though, but basically I guess I've liked it pretty much all my life, I just wasn't aware at the time. I've always kinda preferred anime to the other "cartoon" shows and the like out there. Does that help?

Well I guess that's it for now... Cya guys next chapter!

Miko and Taijiya

Kagome winced slightly in sleep as Amaya raised her up onto the horse's back.

Kazkaen frowned (well, mentally anyway) at the human now sprawled haphazardly across her back and looked over at Amaya in question.

'_What is wrong with the ningen?' _She questioned, a slight feeling of unease coursing through her at the girl's touch. She didn't know why, but it set off warning bells inside of her, sending her youki into a frenzy and telling her that this being was not safe to be around.

'_She has been beaten and badly neglected in Naraku's care. And whatever unease you may feel from her is not her own doing-- there is nothing wrong or dangerous about the girl, but she has a strong spiritual aura.' _And, in case the horses missed the point, she added '_She is a priestess.' _Almost as an afterthought.

'_She's a priestess!' _Arron said, stepping forward, his eyes glowing angrily, small huffs of steam issuing forth from his nostrils in his outrage. '_You ask us to carry about a priestess? She will purify us for certain!' _

'_She is asleep-- how in the world can you expect her to purify you?' _Amaya countered, knowing it would be no good to tell them that Kagome wasn't the type of priestess to go around purifying any old demon she came across. All a demon had to hear was the word "priestess" or "purification" to send it into a frenzy of irrationality. The only way to calm them was making them believe the priestess was, essentially, helpless.

'_She could wake up!' _Arron countered, ignoring his mother's silent gestures to calm and be quiet.

Amaya frowned as she continued weaving the small harness around Kagome's frame to keep her from slipping off. '_No, she could not. The spell I have placed her under will not be lifted until I will it so-- until you arrive. You are safe from her. Besides, she has traveled around with two full-fledged demons and one half-demon ever since she came to the feudal era.' _

'"_Came to the feudal era?"' _Kazkaen, clearly taking the news that she had a priestess sealed to her back much better than her son. '_What do you mean came to the feudal era?' _

Amaya didn't bother looking at Kazkaen, eyeing her son instead. There was definitely something slightly off about the boy-- something that didn't quite fit in with the other youkai, and she couldn't help but feel that the horses were keeping something from her. Not that that mattered. They had an alliance going, not a therapy group. If they had secrets to keep from her, that was fine, just as she had secrets to keep from them.

'_Kagome isn't from this time. She comes from the future... I don't know how far, something like five thousand years or so.' _Amaya frowned at the way that sounded and corrected herself. '_Five Hundred years. She was pulled back here nearly two years ago, and is the reincarnation of another powerful priestess.' _She decided to leave out the name of said priestess and the information about the Shikon no Tama, knowing it would not help matters. Besides, what the horses didn't know couldn't possibly hurt her.

She turned away from the horses toward the taijiya, who could clearly sense that something was going on that she wasn't aware of, but had not said anything.

'Are you ready to leave now, Sango?' Amaya asked, gesturing toward Arron, who eyed the slayer angrily, taking in her tattered kimono. Her armour was not currently present, nor was her weapon. Amaya decided she would have to find those later.

Actually, she already knew where they were, the problem was retrieving them.

Well, actually, it was more of an irritation that a problem.

She was brought out of her thoughts as Arron turned fiercely burning eyes upon her.

'_What game do you play, **majo**?_' He mentally snarled at her. '_First a miko, and now a wench taijiya? What do you take us for?' _

Amaya eyed the horse incredulously. '_You don't really want me to answer that, horse. Because right now the answer is more than a little less than pleasant.' _

If horses could growl, she would imagine that's what Arron would be doing right now.

Instead he just reared his head, stopping his foot angrily, until his mother intervened, using a language she couldn't understand to tell her son off, before turning angry eyes on Amaya, though the anger was clearly not directed at her.

'_I will gladly carry both the ningens if my son be to lazy to do so. You may ride upon him, ichiko.' _

Amaya inclined her head to the horse.

'I thank you for the offer, Kazkaen, but I will not be joining you.' She said out loud, allowing Sango (who was now struggling to try and coax Arron toward her (the stallion looking to be thoroughly enjoying giving her a hard time) to hear her, and causing the human girl to turn toward her.

'You're not coming?' She demanded loudly, as though Amaya were crazy for thinking to simply abandon them like this, and Amaya frowned at her.

'I never had any intentions of accompanying you there, Sango. Sesshomaru will meet you at the other side with Inuyasha and Miroku, and they shall take care of you. But I myself have a matter of more importance that I must deal with.'

Sango frowned at her, too weak to argue as she finally, after a big silent argument between Kazkaen and Arron, managed to mount her horse. 'Who?' She asked, conveniently forgetting that the sorceress had a life outside of what they had developed.

To her there was no other life.

Her entire village had been taken away from her in one day, then her brother repeatedly, then she was locked away like that... the only life she knew anymore was the life between her and Kagome and Miroku and Inuyasha and the others, so it was rather difficult for her to imagine anyone else getting so closely involved with them having a life outside of theirs either.

Amaya cast her a dark look, before her expression suddenly turned to one of exhaustion and a slightly sad glint entered her eyes. 'I have an old friend with whom I must meet.' She said.

Her tone said that she was not only un-inclined to say more, but would _not _say more, and would likely get angry if pressed, and so Sango let the matter drop as the sorceress turned her attention to Kagome and a strange energy began to pass between them, Kagome giving a small groan in her sleep.

Sango wanted to question, but Amaya held up a hand to silence her until she was done before turning dark eyes upon her. 'That should take care of most of her physical wounds while you get where you're going.' She said simply, before turning back toward the two horses.

Sango again felt things begin to pass between Amaya and the horse-youkai's, just beyond her line of perception, and then Amaya turned slowly back toward her.

'They will take you to Sesshomaru's castle.' She said slowly. 'Please request of him for me that they be allowed to remain and rest there for a time-- I am certain it would be greatly appreciated.'

Sango stared at her, her mind slowly moving to comprehend what she had just said, before she nodded silently, suddenly feeling incredibly reluctant to leave the sorceress behind.

Amaya seemed to sense this for the next second she offered her a small, not-quite smile.

'Do not fear Sango. I shall only be gone for a short time. Besides, Miroku will be waiting for you.'

That in mind, she cast a look to the horse-- the one called Kazkaen-- and the youkai offered her a small nod of sorts, before taking a few steps back slightly, bracing herself firmly against the ground, and pushing off fiercely.

Feeling her horse about to do the same, Sango grasped his neck harshly (his mane hardly being an option to grip) and braced herself as they shot off into the sky, the wind ripping fiercely around them as they left the castle that had been her prison for so long behind... as she soared slowly off toward her old friends... and a new freedom.

Glossary

Ningen - Human

Youki - Yes, like "Shippo" and "Shippou" There is a difference between this and "Youkai." Where Youkai means demon, Youki actually is a demon's energy, or aura. Basically it's what takes over when Sesshomaru or Inuyasha transform (since they seem to be the only ones who ever do so).

Youkai - Demon

Shikon no Tama - The jewel of Four Souls

Taijiya - I'm not entirely certain on the exact definition here, but basically it means "Demon-slayer" or, more closely, "Extermination."

Majo - Witch

Miko - Priestess

Ichiko - Sorceress

(woosh, long one this time)

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: PuNk RoCk MiKo2, RaMbLiNgPhIlOsOpHeR, ClOuDs Of ThE sKy, BlAcK bEtTy, KuRoI, LoRd MaKuRa, WiSh-FuLl ThInKeR, UlTiMaTeRoMaNtIc, BoX qUeEn, LaDyX12, BlUeR sKy, InUmE-bLuE, SoUrApPlE10000, WoLfYgIrL13, AlMaNdInE-AzAlEeA, **and, **JtMsCoLa -- **You guys are really awsome, but I've had way too much sugar, and I need to go wear some of it off, so...

CMoC - Grip - Every Little Thing (song I was listening to throughout most of this chapter), So far away - Staind, For you - Staind, For you - Smile Empty Soul, Savin' Me - NickelBack, One Day, One Dream - Tackey and Tsubasa, Yura Yura - Every little thing, Good Riddance (Time of your life) - Greenday

A/N: Oh, and this chapter now has more than 20000 hits and 500 reviews! Is that AWESOME or what!


	57. Sesshomaru's Voice and Kagome's Kiss

A\N: Okay, so I am still experiencing writers block (believe it or not) but it's fading in and out so I managed to get this chapter out.

Maybe it has something to do with what a good mood I'm in but I decided that I don't think I'm gonna kill Kagome or anything like that just yet.

Been Lmao for the last two hours or so at a website of mistranslations. Not that I'm making fun of people or anything, but when you see things like "I'm a crap" "Daddy was a street corner" "This is perfect for a life you are going to live" and "It is great and I, want you who are the bag, which is easy to use and surely use" you can't help but laugh. Well, I can't anyway.

Anyway, I'm ranting when you all probably really want to get to the chapter, so...

-Almandine-Azaleea - Are they hiding something? Hm. Well, maybe you could tell me what it is since I have no idea... Yep, Amaya's very intricate. I figure she has to have some sort of mysterious/dark past to have come and end up in Naraku's... servitude... is that the right word? o.O Lol, anyway, yeah, hopefully I don't mess them up... I'm afraid I have to push Miroku and Sango off to the side for a little bit... I will get back to them! Just not right away... -- Lol, wow, those are some pretty awesome compliments... no pressure right? Lol! Well, hopefully I lived up to your expectations... and if I exceeded them, that's even better! Oh, and you don't actually have to tell me that (although it is nice to hear) because this site alerts me to any one who has me on alert/fav list... it's kind of an invasion of privacy I suppose, but still it does give my ego a little extra boost

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Believe you me, I'm just as eager to learn what they are "hiding" as you are!

-Wings of Fayth - Lol, so close, and yet so far... This chapter should bring us a little closer... in fact, it should put us pretty much right there...

-Black Betty - Well those are some interesting words of... wisdom? Lol, I have no idea, wisdom is something I don't have a lot of time for. It gets in the way of all the insanity don't ya know? As Willie Wonka saids: "A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men." -- Lol, maybe he is odd... everybody seems to have taken an interest in him... Wonder what that's all about... Man, I really gotta stop making up OC's-- Everybody likes them too much!

-xolovexinuyasha - Oh no! Did I miss another review? Bleargh! I seem to be making a habit of this! When did you leave it? Cause if it was left late, or on a chapter when I'd already updated I might have passed over it... I don't actually go back and look at all the new reviews on all the older chapters all that much... Call me lazy but it's just something I don't do... Caged volleyball? Woosh! That sounds pleasant! The words "Caged" and "Volleyball" in on sentence. I think I had a nightmare about that once... Lol. Amaya's powers? Hm. Well maybe I can convince her to lend them to you sometime... When she gets back from wherever the hell she went to that is. -- The exorcism of emily rose?... No... I don't watch movies like that much. I don't much care for horror films (even if they're supposed to be based on true stories) because they're always so predictable and people work so hard to make them scary and creepy that they're just... not. They've overused everything too much. And, on the off chance that something does scare me, it's usually when I'm drinking or eating something, and makes me spill it all over so I usually end up more pissed off than scared.

-Kuroi - Lol, well I hope you enjoy "seeing" it!

-ladyx12 - Amaya and Sango fight? Why? I mean, maybe, but why them? Though I do suppose I understand your need for some sort of excitement now... But then again, the lack of it now is kinda the way it usually works before wars-- lots of silence and waiting and sadness and anger and whatever else but hardly anything happening... just sitting there and waiting for it all to start bursting into pieces. Or something. I don't know, I think I lost my train of thought about halfway through that and I am not entirely certain what i just said. Hope it made sense to you though, whatever it was...

wolfygirl13 - Lol, I suppose chibi-Sesshomaru does have a point. And, even though he is Sesshomaru in a sense, I don't know how well he'd do... there aren't a whole lot of people who can win against Sess now are there? I'm glad Rin and Shippo have come out... must have been hard to survive in that room for so long with only candy... Have you ever seen Jerry Seinfield's "I'm telling you for the last time?" He talks a bit about kids and candy in that... and about halloween... I think he says something along the lines of "Whose giving out candy? _Everyone that we know _is just giving out candy? W-where is this happening, you gotta take me with you, please I'll do anything... I can wear that!" It's really quite funny actually, but it just sounds stupid when you read it like this... Oh, and please apologise to Naraku, but Rumiko Takahashi turned him into a meanie first, and I had to follow along with that. Maybe he should paint his face or something so he won't scare himself anymore... cause I don't think anime Naraku is going to be able to... it'll kinda take away from this whole "evil-as-all-hell" thing he's got going on. Kirara, don't you know that candy can shorten the lifespan of cats! ô.Ô ...Okay, well that looks demented... , anyway, Sesshomaru you really need to get a hold of yourself! How do you ever expect to rule Venus if you keep jumping around like a maniac! You're making Inuyasha look good, and a while ago he was laughing like a lunatic for no apparent reason... -- Poor, Poor Sango. Believe me, I know what it's like to be exhausted and hyper. When I get really tired I get really restless as well and then I start going into overdrive... that's the mode I'm in when I write these chapters usually actually! -- Oh, and again to Sesshomaru, wouldn't it be better to take all the candy hostage?... uh-oh... Wait! Don't get any ideas!... sighs... Maybe I should see if I can't find Kouga or someone like that... I don't think he's been in there yet has he? Lol, anyway, your wish is my command (and visa versa) so here's your next chapter! Hope it didn't take too long... And Kanna, leave poor Naraku alone! He hasn't done anything! Well, at least, I don't think chibi-Naraku has... Woosh! -- And this is why I never went into the candy or the chibi business.

-ultimateromantic - Lol, well this chapter us longer than the others I think... and it most likely is sappy... just don't know how good it is yet. Guess that's why I have you guys, huh? -- Pain? _Pain_? What the hell are you talking about _pain_! I love everything you guys have to say to me! Compliments, advice, demands, threats to my life if I don't update, or completely, totally unrelated topics! If I didn't I wouldn't put so much time into responding to you guys now would I? After all, if an author doesn't get a few compliments/threats-on-their-life every once in a while, then they loose interest. They don't want to continue cause they don't think anyone cares... It's really actually kinda depressing... But, to answer your question, no I don't think you guys are a pain, and whoever the hell gave you that sort of an idea should be taken out into the street and shot! -- Cliffhangers are good. As I said to another person recently, the best way to end a chapter is with a cliffhanger, because otherwise it's like your creating a story ending within a story and that ending might not be interesting enough to carry the person over into the next chapter... cliffhangers are much better for that sort of thing. And since when has insanity ever hurt anyone anyway? I haven't met a single person who isn't insane to at least one other person. As the saying goes "Everybody is somebody else's weirdo." -- Anyway, I really appreciate all of your compliments (my ego is _so _swelled right now!) and anything else you have to say! Hopefully this chapter will be what you've been hoping it would be...

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol. -- I disagree about Rin. I think that her happy, optimistic personality is one that helps make her so likeable. It's that unwavering naivety and yet strange amount of complex loyalty (and sometimes wisdom) that makes her so interesting. I kinda relate to her a little bit in some of her qualities so maybe that's why I like her, but... A guy who smiles all the time. Huh. Well I imagine he must get annoyed with that... but still, it could be worse, couldn't it? -- Lol, I don't actually know what his theme is. Or Jakotsu's or Bankotsu's. I like Miroku's kinda, it's kinda... (for lack of a better word) fun, yet not in a completely bouncy out of control way. Inuyasha's is very... interesting. I suppose they were trying to put some sort of courageous sense behind it (if I have the right one) but you rarely ever hear it played... I actually kinda liked Naraku's (again, if I've got the right one) it's dark but still got an interesting sound to it. Not necessarily the type of sound one could dance to, but still an interesting one. --Lol! Yeah, I don't know what came over me with the name thing... probably the sugar...

-Sexy Kat - Lol, well, otanjoubiomedetougozaimasu anyway. I _think _that long blurb of a word means Happy birthday in Japanese, but I can't be sure... Lol! Anyway, maybe this chapter will be an adequete enough birthday gift for you. \

-Bluer Sky - Thanks... Lol, I hope I do an adequate job... no pressure right? Lol

-Clouds of the Sky - How soon is now?

-sourapple10000 - Lol, i don't know how she's going to react to seeing Kohaku... I didn't really include this in this chapter... this was really much more focused around Inu and kags... Had to do it, otherwise I think people might have killed me... -- Oh, and I read your chapter! Left a review there, but I don't know if you've read it yet!

-Ania24 - Lol, that's fine, everyone's welcome! Except the sane and psychatrists... I don't much like either. Do you think you have some insanity in you? If so, then by all means stay! You're more than welcome here with the rest of us! I think I've convinced about half the people here to let out/admit that they are at least a little insane.

-Jtmscola - I didn't scare you huh? Weird... Guess I'll just have to work harder at that! -- Lol, I think I know what you're asking me, and yeah, I do know. Only I can't really ask my sister to explain, since she doesn't seem entirely interested in getting my mom interested (probably smart of her) and she doesn't seem to explain it too well anyway. Until very recently she was stuck calling Sango Sang-go. It was damn well annoying. But I only recently got her interested in it, and only in anime. We have fairly different taste in television sometimes, so I'm stuck explaining it to my entire family. -- Yep, that's what I mean. Only I don't _try _and reproduce it. I do. Not to brag or anything (Bleargh! ) but that seems to be my one true talent. And it's a bit of a curse too. Have you ever seen those drawing mannequins? Little tiny wooden guys who are supposed to give you the right positions/proportions/shadowing when you're drawing? Yeah, well I had one of those once. But it didn't work out. Because I actually drew _him_ and then I couldn't change the picture to look anything remotely normal... It was frustrating as all hell! Dragon ball Z. I saw a bit of that-- back when Freeza (or whatever his name was) was around. I think I liked that green guy with the antenna and Goku(?)'s son the best, but I don't know... However, that was again before I really began recognising anime for what it was. When I first started "watching" Inuyasha though, it was a while ago, and the first episode I ever saw was, I believe, the one with Yura of the demon hair. And, since I didn't know what was happening since I came in halfway through the episode, I wasn't entirely interested in seeing anymore of a slut-demon who controlled hair attacking a "silver"--haired guy with cat ears while some girl bathed in green water and sulked about stuff. Lol, I can see now how wrong I was, but it was still my first impression of the show. Then I picked up a few episodes of it here and there before it just kinda disappeared and I didn't bother looking for it anymore. Only recently did I discover it much the same way you did. It airs at 12:05 where I am, so I was up pretty late, only I wasn't sick, and I saw the title and I'm just like, "hey, that's that show my friend liked so much..." and I started watching it and now here I am. BLEEEEEEEARGH! ! Ugh! Lol, sorry to put that right in the middle of your review, I'm just expressing how much I truly love it when I'm in the middle of a review and my computer decided to go berserk and loose half of what I've typed. Anyway, you had a question... (And BTW, I have no problem answering any question you may or may not have! If I have a problem then I'll just... not answer it I guess )... Hm. That's a toughie. How did I start writing? I don't really know. As far as I know, I've always written, but nothing that was ever serious or ever got finished. Fanfiction though is something that I've only been into for the last... three-four years or so. And it really had nothing to do with Inuyasha at first. It started out with LoTR when I accidentally wandered across a ff site for that, and then I started reading, and doing some really crappy writing. Eventually I kinda gave up on LoTR cause I could never get in the right swing of it... I liked writing for that era and place, but I always wanted to add random swears or idiocy that wouldn't be present in that time or story. Inuyasha though allows you to have those sort of things. I guess it's all just a matter of finding your right genre... Huh... well I lost my train of thought again. Did what I just say make any sense? I very much doubt it answered your question, but that's pretty much all I've got. I'm afraid I'm not very helpful here. All I know about how I started is that I was just sitting there, thinking about... whatever (Inuyasha most likely) and an idea hit me and I just started putting it down on paper in the most coherent fashion I could. That's it. Writing isn't something I plan out or anything it just happens... and when i write I usually can't remember anything I said two sentences after I've said it. Right now, I have a general idea of what I just said to you, but I can't really remember all that much about it... That's just the way it is. Okay... so how far off topic did I go with that one? Lol, the only advice I can give you is to just... let it out. Whatever you have inside your head. Cause if you can break down the dam, then you'd be surprised how hard it is to stop the floodwaters. Or something to that effect... Consider right now-- do you have any ideas of what kind of story you want to write? What kind of plot it should have? Then the best advice I can give you is to go for it-- type out whatever feels right, and get rid of whatever doesn't. Your story will probably turn out much better that way then if you actually tried to have some control over it. Okay, I've gone all "Buudah on the mountain" again. Gomen, I'll stop now... _Anyway_... you're on the production part of TV? That sound pretty cool too! I imagine it would be a bit hectic running around to all the different locations to record something though... Still, doesn't matter what you're doing as long as you're having fun, neh? -- And don't worry, as I've said before, any and all things you guys have to say are welcome here (except for rips) and I love hearing it all! Besides, it's great to talk to you guys! -- Lol, woah, this is one long rant, huh? You see what you made me do! Oh well, I just had to type it, you're the one who has to read it. ... On second though, poor you... I really must be a sadistic person to put you through all this. Lol! -- Anyway, if by best part you mean Kags and Inu getting together, well then I hope I haven't failed to disappoint. Or something... and yes, I do believe you spelled adios correctly. phew

-Box Queen - Domo Arigato!

-Inume-blue - Lol, I'm glads you like! Don't worry, I personally can't think of anything much to say either... Jtmscola used up all my steam...

This doesn't really have much to do with anything, but the song I was listening to while I was writing this was Angels or Devils by Dishwalla, so that's my music of choice for this (even though it doesn't exactly fit in with the plot of this chapter at all) and I guess it earns some credit for getting me in the right mood to write.

_---"Stand firm in your refusal to remain conscious during algebra. In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra." - Fran Lebowitz----_

_----"I stand by all the misstatements I've made." - Dan Quayle---- _

_----"The President has kept all the promises he's intended to keep." - _Clinton aide George Stephanopolous speaking on _Larry King Live_---

_----There's too much blood in my caffeine system! - Don't know who, but this one's up here mostly because of some of the things wolfygirl13's been saying lately... ----_

Well there you go, a whole lot of blurb!

If you ever make it down here, then I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

Sesshomaru's Voice and Kagome's Kiss

Sesshomaru opened the door to the monk's room hoping to locate his brother.

He had, by chance, scented upon the wind the smells of the horse youkai's, as well as the two females he knew his brother had traveled with at one time, and he knew Inuyasha would likely want to be the first to greet them.

The smell had been faint when he had first tasted it, and so he had left it for nearly half an hour, knowing it would take that long before the horses would even get close. He could sense rain and miasma drawing closer, and he did not want to risk Inuyasha being out in the open any longer than he had to.

Despite his former protests that he would never allow anyone to get close to him, he knew he had already failed that thrice over, and he was beginning to accept it.

After all, if you were going to fail at something, then it was best not to waste time making even more of a fool of yourself by denying it. He had failed the moment he had allowed Jaken to follow him. He had, of course, not been aware he was failing until Rin had joined him as well, and then he had tried to avoid it again, but who better to seal this new fate of his than his younger sibling in a great deal of need?

Whether he had hated him once or not was not an issue-- instincts told him to protect his younger brother, and so protect him he did. It wasn't a conscious decision at first, but it wasn't one he could take back now either.

And he found that he didn't really want to anyway.

Especially once he stepped into the room and caught sight of said younger brother, sitting on the floor next to the monks slightly raised futon, his head resting next to the monks arm and his eyes shut tight.

He couldn't help but smile at the sight, watching as the two's breathing rose and fell in sync, which was saying something since the monk's had formerly been incredibly shallow and worn.

It did not occur to him until later that Inuyasha might be tired because he was, however unconsciously, using his youki's aura to feed energy to the monk.

It was a dangerous task for a human to accept, but Inuyasha was only half-demon, and the ningen was definitely stronger than most... all in all, the effect seemed to be quite pleasing.

He debated leaving the two to rest for a while longer before deciding against it.

If the other two arrived while they were asleep, there was no telling what hell would break loose when they were all reunited later.

Approaching the two slowly, he gently shook Inuyasha's shoulder, trying to wake him.

The effect this had was slightly startling.

Inuyasha shot straight up, his hand immediately flying toward the hilt of Tetsusaiga, and he immediately jumped to a defensive stance over Miroku.

Sesshomaru was a little surprised, but did not let it show as he silently allowed Inuyasha to get his bearings, while beside him Miroku waked in a much smoother and more acceptable fashion, his eyes sliding open slowly, before moving to fix on the two brother's before him.

He blinked in confusion as Inuyasha glared at Sesshomaru.

'Dammit all, why'd you have to go and wake me up like that!' He snarled. 'I could've killed you!'

Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow. 'I seriously doubt that little brother. You were as tense as a rabbit caught out of it's hole, and just as confused. I doubt you would have been able to land a blow.'

Inuyasha growled slightly in agitation, mumbling something about arrogant bastard youkai under his breath. Sesshomaru frowned slightly at him and then held up a hand to silence his profane rant, which Inuyasha grudgingly obeyed.

'If you have quite finished, little brother, I thought you would be interested to know that the other remaining two of your companions are on their way.'

Inuyasha and Miroku's eyes both widened in surprise.

'Sango and Kagome?' Miroku asked, slowly raising himself into a sitting position, and looking much better than he had since he had arrived here. Sesshomaru stared at him a moment, before nodding.

'Indeed. The slayer and the miko should be here within moments, if I am not mistaken.'

Inuyasha couldn't believe what he was hearing.

'You mean you knew they were coming and you are only just now telling us? What the fuck is wrong with you?' He demanded, bending down and gathering up Miroku, surprising both the monk and Sesshomaru, before turning and heading toward the door.

Sesshomaru decided to leave that to rest for the moment and followed behind them as Inuyasha weaved his way down the many intricate hallways and finally outside into the grounds.

At some point in time Kirara showed up, walking quietly along beside Inuyasha until they reached outside, and then she transformed into the large fire-cat version of herself Sesshomaru was used to, and allowed Inuyasha to gingerly rest the monk along her back.

Miroku didn't complain at the treatment, his eyes scanning the trees for these "horses" Sesshomaru and Inuyasha had spoken of, since his first and only encounter with them he had been unconscious.

Inuyasha didn't bother to correct him, turning his eyes toward the side instead, before coming to rest on two tiny pinpricks of light that were coming ever closer.

'There!' He said, pointing as Miroku whirled around in confusion, his eyes squinting in the general direction Inuyasha was pointing, but, being the weak human eyes that they were, were unable to make out anything for several more minutes.

Finally the light reached his eyes, while Inuyasha and Sesshomaru could already make out the general shape of the horses as they grew larger and larger with every passing moment, before suddenly, his a blaze of orange and white light, the two creatures landed before them, hard enough to leave a substantial crater in the ground before them.

A small curse was issued from one of the riders as she quickly slid from the horse's back, barely managing to catch herself before she hit the ground.

Dark eyes lifted and looked up from behind wind-tossed bangs, moving from Sesshomaru, to Inuyasha, and instantly brightened slightly as the slayer straightened and approached him slowly.

Inuyasha felt a strange lump rise in his throat as the girl came up and gave him a small hug, causing his cheeks to flame beat red before she abruptly pulled away, smiling warmly at him.

'It's good to see you again, Inuyasha.' She said softly, clearly understanding that, not only did he had no idea what to say or how to react to her, but he was incredibly anxious to see Kagome. Just as she was to see Miroku. It was a silent understanding that passed between them. They could greet properly later and ask whatever questions they may have then, but for now they didn't need to do that. It was more important for them to be with their mates.

And Sesshomaru again found himself being slightly amazed at just how easily the small group communicated without words. It was a very admirable and useful gift, and one he was fairly certain he would never posses. Actually, he wasn't even certain if it was the entire group, or simply Inuyasha who produced and shared this ability with others, since he had seen the boy react in similar ways with Kohaku.

Sango turned slowly away from him, offering Sesshomaru a low and respectful bow, which he responded to with a small inclination of his head, before turning his gaze toward the fire-cat.

Sango followed his gaze, and her eyes immediately lit up as they saw Miroku and Kirara there, both looking slightly strained but better than she had ever seen them in a long time.

Barely keeping her joy in check, Sango quickly ran over to his side and threw her arms around him, Kirara letting out a small growl of both welcome and happiness as well as slight discomfort at the sudden added weight as Miroku caught the taijiya flying into his arms with nearly enough strength to send them both toppling off.

'Miroku!' She cried as his arms wrapped about her shoulders, her own tightly latched around his waist.

'Sango...' Miroku returned, still slightly shocked at the intimate contact she had initiated. Her ass was within perfect reaching distance from here, but he quickly quenched the urge to touch it. This was most definitely not the time for _that_.

'I missed you so much...' She said, burying her face in the front of his robes.

Inuyasha watched the two embrace with a small sad smile on his face, before turning away, not wishing to intrude on their privacy any longer.

A small noise from the horses drew his attention toward them, thinking they'd want some food or shelter or something.

He was completely stunned when his eyes fell upon a second figure, slowly sliding down from the back of one of the horses, and immediately he froze up completely.

The figure was incredibly skinny, her legs trembling beneath her weight, and her hair and clothes hanging dirty and tattered about her, but there was no doubt about who it was.

For the second time that night dark eyes lifted, and Inuyasha felt his stomach tighten as they scanned from Sesshomaru to Sango and Miroku and then finally came to rest on him.

For a moment nothing happened as their gazes locked, the world seeming to narrow down and be blocked out until there was nothing but the two of them.

Kagome took a small step forward, her leg trembling beneath her, and her eyes wide, eyebrows turned up at the centre as though she did not believe this was real, and was afraid that he would disappear at any second.

'Inuyasha...' She said softly, her voice cracked and wavering, the word coming out almost as a question.

Inuyasha stared at her, silent for several seconds as the feeling of uncertainty surrounded him as well, and a sense of deja-vu overflowed him as he again got a flashback to the well.

"_What are you doing here? I told you never to return!" _His memory echoed around in his mind as his voice resounded gently in the night air.

'Kagome...' incredibly soft, a whisper that youkai would like have trouble hearing, but Kagome seemed to hear it nonetheless.

Her eyes filled with tears and then, just as at the well, she suddenly began running toward him, incredibly fast for a person who seemed to have been starved for so long they could barely stand, flinging herself at his chest in a way not unlike Sango had just done... in a way not unlike _she_ had done on that day at the well...

'Inuyasha!' She all but sobbed as her arms clamped around his chest, tight enough to force the air from his lungs and make his body go rigid with discomfort for a second.

He pushed it away as he uncertainly put his arms around her.

And somehow that felt right-- righter than it had ever felt with Kikyo, when it was of his own will or of her own that they embraced. It just seemed natural this way -- Kagome trying to break all the ribs in his body with her embrace, and his arms trying to pull her closer and encourage her in that task, trying to remember the feel and scent of her as their bodies and minds began to welcome back what used to be familiar territory.

He tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer against him (if that were even possible) and staring in a rather stunned way, eyes glazed slightly with surprise, at the spot she had stood at moments before.

'Amaya said you weren't coming yet...' He said softly, his voice still holding that uncertainty, though now not from being unsure how to react, but from being afraid that, as Kagome had been afraid, this was not real.

Kagome sniffed against his chest. 'She wasn't going to, but Sango wouldn't leave without me, and I didn't think I could've lasted much longer there anyway...' She sniffled again, and then pulled back to look up at him with wide tear-filled eyes, just studying his face, searching his eyes for several minutes, and, as he stared down into the watery and unreadable dark pools of her own, he couldn't help but wonder what she saw there...

After a moment her eyes seemed to fill with both pain and joy and she crushed herself against him again. 'Oh Inuyasha!' She said, her voice filled with tears as she buried her face in his chest. 'I was so scared I'd lost you... I... I thought I'd never see you again...' She confessed against his fire-rat haori, the tears soaking into the material as he stared down at her, his own eyes becoming soft and sad with grief remembered and renewed.

'I know.' He said softly, bringing one of his hands to rest upon the grown of her matted head. Not that he cared. He had seen far worse. Hell, he had _been _far worse on more than one occasion in his life. A little dirt couldn't get in his way then, and it couldn't get in his way now. Nor could a lot of dirt. And, almost as if he was attempting to defy said dirt, he buried his face against her hair, loving the fact that, underneath, past all the filthy and blood and the faint traces of those shampoos and perfumes she used that had all but disappeared, she still smelled the same. 'I thought I'd lost you too.' He said.

He could feel tears forming in his own eyes, and he buried his face against her neck, feeling her pulse beating strongly and soundly and very much alive against his lips as he again tasted her scent here.

Kagome let out a small noise that seemed somewhere between a hiccup and a sob and turned her face to burrow against his cheek, and he turned, meeting her halfway, and pressed their lips together.

It wasn't an entirely intentional thing for Inuyasha since he still did not consider it his right but more of a privelage to be allowed to kiss Kagome, and the fact that he helped initiate it was startling to both miko and hanyou's minds.

For a moment they stared at each other, their lips barely brushing, then Kagome's eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned forward, pressing their lips even tighter together.

Inuyasha's ears shot straight up on his head in surprise at this, and his first instinct was to pull away, to pull back and stop degrading this beautiful creature before him with his unworthy touches.

But Kagome wasn't pulling away-- she had initiated the continuation, and Inuyasha, despite the more prude and pitifully degraded part of his mind screaming protests, did not really want to pull away anyway.

Because this was right-- even more right than the embrace had been, and before he could stop himself, he found himself pressing forward, deepening the kiss, and this was new to both of them as the small world of swirling blue darkness they had created around them continued on its way without interruption-- Inuyasha actually responding in a good way to such a simple touch, and Kagome brought her arms up to wrap around his neck, pulling him down closer to her, and Inuyasha went willingly, his mind and soul still _aching _for more of her touch-- more of her taste.

However, before they could carry on with this too long, their moment was interrupted as Sesshomaru cleared his throat rather loudly.

'If you two are going to continue down this path, then I suggest you find yourselves a room. If not, there is a storm coming, and we all must return inside anyway.' He said, his voice slicing through their own little haven of nothingness, and bringing the rest of the world back into view and hearing range at a rather rapid pace as the two pulled their lips away from one another (though both refused to release the other) and glanced over at Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha let out a small huff as his cheeks again flamed bright red, and Kagome looked at him, his ears pinned back in annoyance and embarrasment, then at Sesshomaru, who was staring coldly at him. Her eyes met with the lord of the Western lands' and she could see the small traces of amusement glittering just beneath the surface.

She let out a small laugh-- something she hadn't done in a very, very long time, and hadn't ever really expected to ever do again, and Inuyasha's ears pinned tighter to his head as he looked at her in confusion.

Kagome shook her head by way of explanation, and Inuyasha glared, letting out a small "Keh" of annoyance. She quickly silenced him with another kiss, not nearly as deep as before, but still enough to effectively silence him, and unpin his ears from his head as they again shot up in surprise-- an action she found incredibly amusing, but avoided saying anything as she pulled back, away from him, their bodies loosing contact for all of a moment, before she reached down and quickly laced her fingers within his own.

Inuyasha stared down at their clasped hands for a moment, then looked up at her.

He could see the pain in her eyes from all that had happened-- all that was yet to happen-- and the indignant anger at what had been done and was going to be done. But more than that, more importantly, he could see the joy-- the love and happiness and... total completeness there, shining so clearly for him to see, yet he was certain it would be hidden to others unless they looked very hard for it.

He supposed the reason it was so clear to him was because... it was the same thing that he was feeling... exactly.

He was complete now when he had not been before, he felt happiness in places that had been missing if for so long, and he was... loved... in a way he had never been loved before.

Not by his mother, father or brother, for, while he was certain they all loved him a great deal (at least now), it was still a paternal and fraternal thing, and not at all like this in so many ways.

Not by Sango or Miroku or Shippo or Kirara, because they were all his friends, and the love they had for him was just that-- love between friends. It was exactly the same way he felt towards them.

And not by Kikyo either. He had thought, at one time, that what he was feeling from her and with her was love, but he could tell now it was not. Kikyo, despite her purity and former goodness, had been selfish. It was subtle, but it was there nonetheless, and she he been willing to let it overcome her and hurt him with it so that "they" could be happy. According to her the only way to free her from the duty of a priestess was to get rid of the Shikon jewel, and the only way to do that was to turn him human. He hadn't wanted to _be_ human though-- it was exactly the opposite of what he had wanted, but that hadn't mattered. It didn't matter that there were lots of other half-demons who would have been glad to make such a wish, it had to be him. And he had been willing to do that for her, because he had thought he had loved her. But then she had died, and become more tainted and twisted than he had ever thought. He had never truly realised the spite and scorn that a human could possess until Kikyo had died.

And he realised that, if she truly felt such things toward him-- if she was truly willing to hurt him over and over again like this-- there was no way in hell she ever could have loved him.

Nor he her.

He wasn't sure what had attracted him to her after the jewel became out of the question, but he knew he had at least been attracted to if not in love with her.

But after she had died that attraction had developed more into a sense of duty, which she abused so much it had dwindled down to... nothing.

This feeling to protect her was all but gone, and anything else he had felt for her had fled him the moment she had kidnapped him from Naraku.

And he didn't want her anymore.

He wanted Kagome.

Because, as he looked at her, even covered in dirt and blood and slime and other gross things like that, even with her hair matted and looking more out of control than Rin's, even with her eyes darkened with pain and sadness and her skin decorated with bruises and cuts, he still found her to be more beautiful than the stars themselves.

Because he loved her.

And Kikyo didn't matter anymore.

A/N: Well there you go!

I am seriously all out of things to say (IT'S A MIRACLE!) so I guess I'll just anxiously await the reviews and see what everyone thinks... o.o

**ARIGATO: Almandine-Azaleea, Punk Rock Miko2, Wings of Fayth, Black Betty, xolovexinuyasha, Kuroi, Ladyx12, woflygirl13, ultimateromantic, RaMbLiNgPhIlOsOpHeR, Sexy Kat, Bluer Sky, Clouds of the Sky, sourapple10000, Ania24, Jtmscola, Box Queen, Inume-Blue!**

CMoC: Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows, Remedy - Seether, Yura Yura - Every Little Thing, Brand New World - V6, One of us - Joan Osbourne, Collide - Howie Day(?), So Far Away - Staind, Right here - Staind, Hanging By a Moment - Lifehouse, You and Me - Lifehouse and Angels or Devils - Dishwalla.

Well, I've got this weird sensation that something is choking me, so I guess I'm gonna get going now...


	58. The Way It Should Be

A/N: Happy April Fools Everyone!

Hope y'all are enjoying the prankster's fav holiday!

Oh, and I figured I should probably aplogize for the _horrendous _editing jobs in this chapter and the last chapter. I've been doing it worser ( - heh, I made a new word! ) than usual, but I'm too lazy to do anything about it at the moment, so please just bear with me on that.

Wasn't expecting to get this chapter up this soon, but since it's the first of the month and a holliday, I figure what the hell?

-Squishy Penguin - Arigato! I'm actually incredibly relieved that everyone seems to think that! I thought for sure I'd gone and made it too sappy or somehting like that...

-Kuroi - Almost? _Almost_? sighs I am loosing my touch, aren't I? Lol, still I'm glad ( -- If I use that word one more time... Well, I don't know what's gonna happen, but it's gonna be bad!) that you enjoyed the chapter though! -- Yeah, it was uncomfortable, but it's gone now. I have absolutely no idea what caused it though, but... Lol, now I'm probably making people worry about my sanity...

-Bluer Sky - Lol, I don't know what I would have said if I hadn't had them making out, so really they had no choice but to shove their tongues down each other's throats!

-xolovexinuyasha - Yeesh, that sounds bad. You know that's just stupid though! Just because there are more people on the teams, doesn't mean you should make the ball heavier! It is _not _any easier to hit because there are more people to run into! Demented, idiotic, stupid, arm-hating... Morons! Lol, sorry, this response is moving in a kind of erratic manner, and I'm afraid I'm not really responding to what you said in any particular order. Gomen! -- What an idiot! Your teacher should always tell you first and give you a chance to get better! Fuck! I hate teachers like that. I had one once, she actually made more than one person cry during class, she never explained anything, and then she was a total bitch and humiliated anyone who didn't know the proper answer. Hopefully yours will meet a similar fate and be fired. -- Hm. That kinda sucks. You studied all that and got a D? I wish I could help ya in some way, but... really, I think I'm in a different country than you so I'm not sure what I could do... -- Yes, doors do tend to hurt when you walk into them. The trick is to hit them so hard and fast that you either take the door off it's hinges, or knock yourself unconscious so you don't feel it anymore. -- Lol, I'm glad to hear that your desk went together easier than before, and that you're getting a new computer. I use a Window 98 as well, and that doesn't seem to be changing any time soon. I have speakers on it though, so that's a plus. It definitely has an advantage over my old computer though, which couldn't _get_ the internet. Still, hopefully the new one will make your life a little more easy to bear, neh? -- And I'm glad my story made you laugh! Anything to brighten up the day! -- And yes, you have taught me a very valuable lesson in life. Not that it really did anything, since I _never_ play volleyball anyway. Everybody can tell you to play just to have fun, but I, personally, don't see the fun in a sport where you whack a ball until your arms fall off and try not to get hit in the head with it or be knocked over when everyone else is running around trying to hit the ball as well. -- ANyway, now to the actual recent part of your review: You didn't know I could write like that? Lol, well neither did I since I have no idea what I wrote. That's kinda a thing with me, I never remember what I've written two seconds after I've written it. Still, if it made you cry... (And don't worry, you're not the only one apparently )!

-Wish-Full Thinker - Bleargh. I kept misspelling your name! Wish-full Thinkier! For some reason I just couldn't stop hitting the I! -- Lol, okay, now to the review. Yeah, I'm sorry if I was narrating a lot. I don't think I'll ever have any given style of writing though, y'know? I can be descriptive one chapter, and then narrating the next, and then doing it in an entirely different style the next. I think I just prefer to write it from inside the characters head without it being from their POV, if that makes any sense. Sorry if that makes it less enjoyable for you.:( -- Where will the story go? That's a good question... if you find the answer, let me know, cause I have no idea.

-Ania24 - Lol, well then I'm glad I met your expectations!

-ultimateromantic - Lol... um... thanks?

-Kitsama - Yeah... WAFF... ... Lol, I'm really much more of an angst person myself, but I guess in the end there's nothing to be done about that...

-Black Betty - Yeah... I somehow just couldn't find it in myself to kill one of them so soon... though, if I had, it probably would have been Kagome.

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol!... Wait... you're joking... right?... OO... EEP! Lunges under desk -- Lol, do newborn babies smile a lot on the fourth of July?

-Wings of Fayth - Well wait a minute, why do either of them have to kill them? Maybe they'll kill them, or maybe they'll just be recaptured again, or maybe only one will die, or maybe they'll just kill themselves, or maybe... Lol, okay, I'm done now. -- I don't know if I'll have a lemon... I haven't actually written any Kag/Inu lemons before so that would be interesting... Guess we'll just have to see how it goes. -- What's gonna happen? Now how the hell would I know that, it's only _my_ story!

-Darking Queen - Lol, well I think people would be kinda confused of what exactly these jewel shards were and stuff like that (since I never explained any of that in this story) but it's nice to know you think I could get it published. I mean that's just... going straight to my head!

-Lord Makura - Lol, did she ever?

-sourapple10000 - Lol, well I don't actually know if I technically have writer's block. I'm getting it in boughts, and then little spurts of time in which I manage to get a chapter out... still, just as frustrating nonetheless.

-Sexy Kat - Lol, lover boy? Well that's a name I never really associated with inuyasha before... Lol. Oh, and don't apologize! There have been more than a few outbursts and a couple of happydances so far this chapter!

-cocoke5 - Lol, Arigato! I'm glad that I've managed to make it so you can actually get a feel of the story an what's happening!

Well, that's just about it for now I guess... Oh, for anyone here who likes Engrish, there's a great website for it: w w w. Engrish . c o m (without the spaces of course) that you can have some fun with.

For the rest of you, I think I'm done ranting now, so I guess it's time to get on with the next chapter.

The Way it Should Be

Inuyasha led Kagome through the castle's many hallways, leaving Sesshomaru and Kirara to deal with Miroku and Sango as he focused instead on the miko now with him.

The air between them as they walked practically crackled with electricity as their aura's collided so strongly after so long apart. The awkwardness was rising slightly between them, but it was drowned out by the comfort they felt, now that they were together once again.

Which left only room for uncertainty.

He cast a glance back at her nervously as he pushed open the door to one of the many spare bedrooms (he never actually slept in any one in particular, finding it strangely comforting to move around from room to room at will) and was slightly surprised to see a fire blazing already, and a small feast laid out on a low table in the centre of the room.

Kagome looked past him at the scene before her, her eyes widening slightly at the warmth and light in the room, as well as all the food... more food than she had seen in a long time.

'Did... did you do all this?' She asked softly, still staring at the room.

Inuyasha shook his head. 'It must have been Sesshomaru... I... didn't know you were coming. He must have gotten someone to set this up.' He said, glancing nervously at her once again, something he had been doing entirely too often for her liking.

Kagome looked over at him and offered a small smile. 'I'll have to remember to thank him.' She said, her voice wavering slightly as a wave of weakness overcame her. She trembled slightly, her legs trying to give out after their unexpected amount of use, and she started to fall.

But Inuyasha was there, and he caught her, quickly lifting her up and moving into the room, setting her down on one of the mats next to the wall by the food so that she could lean back.

She shivered still at the unfamiliar sensations of _warmth_ and _light_ that washed through her as she gazed in amazement at the flames roaring in the fire.

'You're cold!' Inuyasha said suddenly, quickly moving to strip himself of his haori. He wrapped it tightly around her shoulders while she was still blinking in confusion and trying to focus on what he said as he muttered 'Damn sorceress, should have given you something to wear...'

He closed the haori tightly around her chest and shoulders, pausing when her smaller hand came up to meet his, their fingers touching gently as they got reaquianted with one another, and Inuyasha stared at them a moment-- her pale, small, delicate and round (if slightly sharp from the skin pressing against the bone), hand, a perfect contrast against his blunt, rough one for a moment, his ears flicking back in confusion before straightening again as he slowly looked up to meet her eyes.

They were half-lidded and exhausted, smile despite the tears present there, their dark depths flickering with so many emotions... and Inuyasha could feel himself getting lost there very quickly... in the soul that was s familiar but so... strange to him now.

His eyes drifted over the sharp protrusions of her bones that fought desperately to escape the too-thin armour of skin, and his ears went back.

How could he have let this happen?

How could he have failed her-- them all-- like this, and let Naraku do this to them?

Kagome's brow furrowed slightly as the distress and self-loathing leaked into Inuyasha's eyes, and she stiffened slightly.

'Inuyasha.' She said, her voice soft but firm, drawing his golden eyes back to her own, watching them flicker red and auburn in the firelight for a moment, before slowly, gripping his hand in her own shaking one, she drew his palm up, and pressed it flat against the left side of her chest, just above her heart.

Inuyasha's eyes widened, and his cheeks flamed red in embarrasment as he tried, gently but determinedly, to pull his hand away. But Kagome's determination was stronger, and she held fast, pressing both her palms flat on top of his and looking his deep in the eye, and Inuyasha was pinned, frozen, lost again within their dark depths as her heart thudded steadily, strongly against his palm, his own heart thundering in his ears, it's beat flickering and changing to match that beneath his palm.

The hanyou was not certain what sort of message Kagome was trying to send him with this, since his previous thoughts had nothing really to do with hearts or self-induced groping, but somehow... it worked.

Despite that there had been nothing said really, he knew what she meant.

It was alright.

It wasn't his fault.

None of them blamed him.

He swallowed thickly, feeling emotions he couldn't name rising in his throat, trying to form into words, but he refused to let them out, so they moved instead to fill his eyes as shields of tears, one breaking free and falling down to the floor to shatter like liquid crystals.

'Kagome...' He said slowly, his ears going back even further as he felt the words trying to make themselves known, but Kagome shushed him with a finger, before leaning forward and replacing it quickly with her lips.

It wasn't a rough kiss, or even a passionate one, it was simply... there.

Feather-light, just two sets of lips brushing together like the whispering caress of butterfly wings, but it lingered for long eternity-filled seconds, neither trying to deepen it or pull away.

It was simply existing.

Like them.

And when Kagome did finally pull away, Inuyasha felt more breathless than from the kisses she had given him outside.

He stared at her with wide eyes, and she stared back at him calmly, an understanding of some sort passing between them.

The moment was broken when Kagome's stomach, having absolutely no cares for what was going on in her heart or mind, demanded attention (and food) in the form of a loud, rumbling growl.

Inuyasha's ears swivelled toward the noise as Kagome cast a slightly appalled glance at her stomach, her eyes wide, before she looked back up at Inuyasha, smiling at the surprised expression on his face.

'I haven't eaten in a while...' She said slowly.

Inuyasha stared at her a moment, his eyes softening and darkening from their initial surprise, tingeing with sadness once again that Kagome hated to see there.

'Good thing we have lots of food here then, huh?' She asked quietly, keeping her tone as light as she could.

'Yeah...' Inuyasha said, his voice soft and melancholy. Kagome sighed, her own despair rising, and looked around at the food, before her eyes settled on a cup of pure, crystalline water-- something she hadn't seen or tasted in a long time.

She leaned forward to grasp it, only to let out a small wince and barely audible gasp as pain shot through her ribs.

Inuyasha's ears once again focused on the sound and he quickly reached over and grabbed the cup as she leaned back with an exhausted sigh.

Her hand trembled as she reached up to meet his and take the cup, but Inuyasha shook his head, using his free hand to push hers back down.

'Let me do it.' He said softly, staring deeply into her eyes, waiting permission. Kagome stared back at him, slightly surprised, before nodding her head, feeling too weak to protest anyway.

Inuyasha brought the cup forward slowly, tentatively, and pressed it against her lips. Kagome couldn't surpress the small sigh of pleasure as the cool liquid eased it's way over her tongue, down her throat.

It had been so long...

_Too_ long...

And now that she actually had everything she had craved for... she was all but helpless to achieve anything with it.

It was a sad thought, but, when she looked up at Inuyasha, his eyes focused intently on the cup in his hands, his ears twitching gently toward each and every noise, she couldn't help but smile.

Because it gave her an excuse to let him take care of her.

And it gave him and excuse to take care of her as well.

And in their hearts, that's the way they both wanted it to be.

That's the way it was supposed to be after all.

That's the way it should be.

Glossary

Miko - Priestess/Witch (In this case I'm going with the first meaning)

Haori - A type of Japanese coat. (Like the fire-rat one Inuyasha wears)

Hanyou - Half-Demon

A/N: Hm, Hm, I think it only took me an hour this time.

**HEAPS OF THANKS AND POCKY FOR: Squishy Penguin, Kuroi, Bluer Sky, xolovexinuyasha **(hope your life is going a bit better now)**, Wish-full Thinker, Ania24, ultimateromantic, Kitsama, Black Betty, Punk Rock Miko2, Clouds of the Sky, Wings of Fayth, Darking Queen, Lord Makura, sourapple10000, Sexy Kat **aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand **cocoke5** --- These are the completely, totally wonderful reviewers from the last chapter, and the main inspiration for this one!

CMoC - So Far Away - Staind, hanging by a moment - Lifehouse, Follow me - Uncle Kracker, Pounding - The Doves, Godless - The Dandy Warhols, Fukai Mori - Do as Infinity, My Will - Dream, Weapon - The Matthew Good Band, Angels or Devils - Dishwall, First Time - Finger Eleven


	59. All that Jazz

A/N: Hey everyone

Before I get on with the reviews or the chapters, I'm afraid I have to apologize to a few people.

Some people have been sending me PM's in response to this story.

Unfortunately, the PM's often get mixed up with the review alerts and, since I don't actually read the reviews in my email, and since I get so many alerts I don't often think to look through for PM's, and a lot of them got deleted.

If you wrote me a PM and I didn't respond, that's very likely the reason.

Gomen to everyone who I didn't write back too, I honestly didn't know. 

Anyway, to make up for it a little bit, I got this chapter out a bit earlier than I expected (especially since everything's chaos around here). Sorry again to everyone if I missed you-- it's not a personal thing, I'm just an idiot.

-Clouds of the Sky - Oh do they? Lol, I don't know, I don't actually see a lot of babies on the 4th of July... maybe that's why!

-Bluer Sky - Oh, I think it might take a little while yet. Cause first I've got a Amaya's little visit off to who knows where, and then I've got a little detail involving Kag and Inu that I think most people haven't thought about yet. Anyway, hopefully I can still keep you guys interested enough to bear with me for that long.

-Ania24 - Lol, well I'm certainly glad that you like it so much.

-Lord Makura - Well, maybe for a little while... might have to angst them out a bit more in the future chapters though... But I don't think they'll go back to the way they are in the series if it's any consolation.

-lunerfox - Lol, well I would ya see, but then my good self would feel a bit left out, and I wouldn't want that now would I?

-xolovexinuyasha - wow, you've got all that in one teacher? Man. Talk about a bitch. Huh... I don't know why, but it makes me think of Kikyo for some reason... -- Glad you could escape from gym for a while though. My break just ended today, so tha's kinda depressing but what ya gonna do about it? Nope, I've never heard of youtube. Well, that's not entirely true, because you just mentioned it, so technically I have heard of it now, just not really. Or something...

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Lol, yeah, I imagine she is. Hopefully Inu can help her get fattened back up again though.

-sourapple10000 - Lol, I actually don't know what Sango will say to Kohaku. I'm thinking I might have to put off their reunion for a little while. I think Kohaku would be fairly stressed out knowing his sister was there... Might take a bit of time for him to adjust. Plus, Sango and Miroku would need a bit of time getting used to being free again as well, wouldn't they? Still, I'll get to that soon enough I hope. sighs the last chapter already? Well it had to come eventually I suppose...

-wolfygirl13 - Lol, well it's always an experience with you isn't it? Still, I made Sesshomaru laugh, even in chibi form that's quite the feat to be proud of! Unless of course, as you said, he's still high on sugar fumes, in which case it could be very easy to make him laugh... -- Still, sounds like all the usual chaos is keeping up around the chocolate factory. Nice to know everything's normal over there. And really, Inuyasha, that was just stupid. He may not have killed you for that insult, but now you've got him _considering _it. clicks tongue honestly, I don't know what we're going to do with you sometimes. KANNA STOP CHASING NARAKU! Honestly! Can't our fav villain's chibi-counterpart get a moments peace? Lol, I guess this is why Willie Wonka had oompa loompas and not chibi-Inuyasha characters. Lol, now that I think about it though... what _is _a steel shield of impending doom? And what exactly would it defend against? And why has no one invested in marketing sugar fumes as a drug, considering the effects it seems to have? -- Cosmic questions I guess we'll never know the answer to.

-Sexy Kat - Lol, I don't care how long the review is. It's just easier to respond to longer ones because then I don't have to repeat myself by going "Thanks, I'm glad you like it" and stuff like that over and over again. Makes me sound like a fcucking robot sometimes and I hate having to do that. Still, thanks anyway, and I'm glad you like it!

-RamblingPhilosopher - You _wish_? What makes you think you aren't? o.O

-Wings of Fayth - Lol, just the options that are available to me. You should actually probably be thankful that my sadistic mind has let them get back together at all. Believe me, I can be _much _meaner to the characters. And I have been. Especially to poor Inu. But that's only cause I like him so darn much. -- Stupid? Gullible? Huh. Well, I have no idea... I suppose if you think you are... "You are what you make yourself." And all that... I honestly can't say...

-Almandine-Azaleea - Lol, everybody seems to like it when I get out of the characters heads and more into the descriptions of what's going on... I should really try and keep that in mind for future reference... Still, glad I could make your day a little better! Miroku and Sango? Yeah, I'll get to them... I'm not sure when though, btu I'll get to them. Right now though I have another character who I think most people seem to have temporarily forgotten.

-Black Betty - Yeah, I was considering killing her, but the jury are all major Kag/Inu fans, so I figure I better not take the risk just yet.

-Wish-full Thinker - Yay! Well I'm glad that I finally got it the way you wanted it! I have no idea if I'll keep that up (no control over these things you know-- it might just have been a fluke) but still, I got it one time around, there's bound to be another, neh?

-Squishy Penguin - Lol, isn't everyone? It's making me a little sick myself, but if the readers are enjoying it...

-Kuroi - I'm glad you think so: )

Well I think that's about it... Hopefully I didn't miss anyone during that...

All that Jazz

Kaede felt the dark presence approaching long before it actually came into sight, and she stepped outside, bow drawn at the ready, waiting...

Amaya landed without ceremony on the same post as last time, her head cocked to the side, eyes gleaming in a way that suggested she was in disbelief that an old hag like her would raise a bow against them as she summoned her wind and transformed back into a human.

'Now, were you pointing that bow at me, Kaede?' She asked, her tone taunting as she stepped down from the pole.

Kaede frowned, lowering the bow.

'What brings ye back here again, Amaya?' She asked slowly, her one eye watching the woman before her cautiously. 'I doubt ye came in search of me, so what is it you want.'

Amaya cocked an eyebrow. 'Actually, Kaede, that is exactly why I _did _come.' She said, keeping her tone offhanded and yet, at the same time, serious. Kaede seemed slightly taken aback.

'What business would ye have with me?' The old miko asked, her face deepening and creasing even further as her frown grew.

Amaya shrugged. 'Well, for one, I thought you would like to know that Kagome, Inuyasha and the other's they traveled with are free and safe from Naraku. For the time being.'

Kaede's eye widened slightly then narrowed in suspicion. 'What have ye done to them now, Amaya?' She asked, her tone dark and warning. Amaya cocked an eyebrow at her, blatantly scoffing her attempts to threaten.

'Do not kid with me, Kaede. I have not _done _anything to them. I simply took them to a safer place. Safer, that is, until Naraku notices them all being gone and starts the real witch-hunt for them.'

Kaede stared at her a moment. 'And where is this safer place you speak of?' The miko asked slowly, not entirely certain she wanted to know what Amaya deemed to be safe. The girl had a rather different set of definitions from the rest of the world as to what was "safe" and "easy" and most of those other words humans used so frequently.

Amaya stared back at her, her dark eyes glittering slightly and shook her head. 'Ah-ah, Kaede, I don't think so. You know the way this works. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. An eye for an eye...' and here her eyes flickered to Kaede's black patch for a moment. 'And all that jazz.' She said.

Silence swept through to fill the air between them at the end of her sentence before Kaede, seeming to realise that Amaya wasn't going to speak again, decided to break it.

'And what is it that ye want?' She asked slowly, knowing that it would likely be something very difficult or bad or dark or, in the end, lead to one of those things.

Amaya cocked her head in consideration for a moment, and then said 'I want you to take me to Kashikari.' She said slowly.

Kaede's eye widened again, her face paling slightly in shock as she stared at the sorceress, before it hardened and became the angry mask she seemed to reserve just for people like Amaya.

'Why would I do a thing like that?' Kaede demanded, her tone heating slightly as Amaya stared at her in open amusement.

'Why wouldn't you?' Amaya countered. 'A dark, dangerous being to be sure, but what do you honestly think I would do? Do you think he would move to serve Naraku? I do not. He serves no one, and, had he been interested in such things, he would have joined with Naraku already. No. I seek him out for different reasons. Besides' and here she glanced around in disdain at the deserted village. 'You can't stay here protecting no one and nothing forever. This village is abandoned, and you protect only planks of wood and pieces of earth now. Your powers would be put to much better use defending against Naraku.' She turned back toward Kaede. 'Come with me, take me to him, and I, in return, shall take you to see your precious miko wench and half-breed.'

Kaede stared at her a moment, her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she contemplated this, and Amaya sighed dramatically. How she hated this old hag. There was nothing in the whole universe that needed as much contemplation as she put into things! Especially not this. It was simple: Stay in a deserted village, wondering always if everyone is safe or not while you guards some rotting houses, or play guide to a sorceress, and then be taken to your friends and help them in healing.

Why was it so difficult?

Amaya snorted.

It wasn't!

Growing impatient with the priestess's lack of response, Amaya reached forward into the woman's mind, easily breaking through the miko barriers that surrounded it and easing through her thoughts.

She smiled as she came across the one she wanted, and turned her focus back on the woman in front of her.

'So you'll do it then.' She said simply, confidently. Kaede frowned in displeasure, but did not argue. It was pointless. She knew what the sorceress had done, so there was no use denying it. Instead, she decided to point out so more vital facts. Like they had no way of getting there.

'Ay, I'll take ye to the place. But it is several hundred leagues from here, and we have no way of getting there. I am an old woman now, I cannot so easily make such a journey over mountains and hills as I used to.'

Amaya cocked an eyebrow. 'Well, you were right about one thing: you are old. However, I did not think you had such little faith in me as to believe I would let you drag your withering bones all across the lands of Musashi like that. It would take us weeks that way!'

That said, Amaya turned away from the affronted miko and, cupping her hands around her mouth, she let out a loud, shrill whistle that rang across the skies, echoing in valleys and mountains all around as Kaede was forced to cover her ears or risking them shattering from the sound.

A pause in which Kaede wondered if the sorceress had completely lost her mind, and then...

Kaede frowned at the faint rumbling sound that reached her ears, growing louder ever second.

'Is that thunder?' She asked softly. Amaya cast her a half-sceptic glare out of the corner of her eye and then turned her attention back to the sky.

A faint pinprick of light was to be seen there, rapidly growing closer and larger as the sound increased around them, until, with a rather violent crack that made the earth shake and white-hot flames leap from beneath his feet, Gouka landed before them, his fire-mane flashing wildly about him as he looked between the dark sorceress, who was smirking in amusement, and the thunderstruck looking priestess, who had her hand clutched tightly to her chest.

'Kaede, I'd like you to meet Gouka, leader of the horse-demon tribe.' She said as Kaede worked to regain her breathing.

The horse gave a small shake of his head in greeting, and Kaede in turn tilted her own head down, her eyes still fairly wide.

The sorceress looked between them, her face still holding that edge of amusement to it, her dark eyes glittering in a slightly sadistic manner, before she spoke again. 'Gouka will be your transportation to Kashikari.'

Glossary

Kaede - Maple

Amaya - Night Rain

Miko - Priestess/witch (In this case priestess)

Naraku - Hell

Kashikari - Wise Legend

Gouka - This word actually has many meanings-- Hell Fire, Effects of Karma, valour and decisiveness, wealthy and powerful family, wonderful(an), gorgeous, splendour, pomp and world-destroying conflagration. In this case, I am using the first meaning for the horse-demon's name.

A/N: Hm, hm, I'm starting to have some fun with these characters again. Well, not that I wasn't before, but now I'm actually getting them to do something interesting, neh?

**SPECIAL THANKX AND PROMISE FOR MORE FLUFF IN FUTURE CHAPTERS TO: Clouds of the Sky, Bluer Sky, Ania24, Lord Makura, lunerfox, xolovexinuyasha, Punk Rock Miko2, sourapple10000, wolfygirl13, Sexy Kat, RamblingPhilosopher, Wings of Fayth, Almandine-Azaleea, Black Betty, Wish-full Thinker, Squishy Penguin **and **Kuroi!** -- You guys really have been a big help in this story!

CMoC - Santa Monica - Theory of a Deadman, Silhouettes - Smile Empty Soul, For You - Staind,

Perfect - Maren Ord(?), In Our Gun - Gomez, Blurry - Puddle of Mudd, Away from Me - Puddle of Mudd, My Will - Dream, Some-japanese-song-from-an-AMV-that-I-don't-know-the-name-of..., too late - Ayumi Hamasaki ( -- This song really impresses me-- I don't know how the hell she can sing that fast!), Shape of Love - Every Little Thing, Fukai Mori (Deep Forest) - Do as Infinity


	60. Understand

A/N: Okay, in this chapter Sesshomaru's going to be brooding over a few things again (probably things he has brooded over already) but considering how much he obsessed over Tetsusaiga, I don't know if it's really that OOC for him.

Also, I just found out that at 2 min and 3 sec after 1 today (am or pm) the time/date was officially 01/02/03/04/05/06 and it's not gonna be that ever again during our lifetime. How cool is that?

Anyway...

OH! And this story now has 590 reviews! Man, you guys have been busy haven't you?

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Hm, Hm... Lol, guess you'll just have to wait and see, neh?

-xolovexinuyasha - Wow. They don't like you very much down there do they? I've never played Spenseball either, but any sport that combines volleyball with... well, anything, can't be good. Hopefully they'll get outta the volleyball kick soon huh?

-wolfygirl13 - Sounds like it's just about time to send in reinforcements down at the choc. factory, neh? Perhaps you should open the window and see if you can't air out some of the sugar fumes... but no, then they might escape and run all over the city... _that_ would be a scary experience! -- Who is this new character? You'll have to wait and see I guess! -- Man, Chibi-Sesshomaru sure keeps himself busy doesn't he? INUYASHA YOU IDIOT, YOU'RE GONNA GET YOURSELF KILLED! -- Well, at least the candy might help distract Naraku from the mirrors... maybe... Huh. It must be weird to be scared of oneself, neh? -- Rin's an electrician now? Huh, maybe all those sugar fumes really did alter her brain somehow. Lol, I'm not even sure I wanna ask where Shippo is throughout all this. Maybe you already told me though and my mind just blocked it out... Lol, till... well, next chapter I guess!

-Black Betty - Lol, yep, for a little while anyway. But she and Amaya are on a bit of a journey, so could be a while before... well, much of anything happens really ...

-Sexy Kat - Oh, I imagine he was... around. Off with Kohaku probably. Lol, I think I explained it a little bit more as to what he's been doing lately, but not much. I don't think all the characters are going to get together as a group again for a little while. You'll understand what I'm saying when you read the chapter (if you don't already). And yeah, I guess Shippo does have some cute qualities... but he really can be quite the spoiled little brat and I don't much like his voice, so...

-Inume-blue - Lol, so I've finally melted your brains out have I? Or is this something completely unrelated to the story? -- I did send you a PM telling you about posting stories (your email didn't show up) but I don't know if you got it. Hopefully I didn't rant too much and you understood what I was saying. If not, feel free to tell me and I'll see if I can't explain it better.

-Almandine-Azaleea - Well, between those two characters anyway. I think the other's are having a bit more of a relaxed time at the moment... which they more then deserve after everything I put them through, neh?

-cocoke5 - Lol, you're welcome! Glad you're enjoying it!

-Ania24 - Well, no, I don't think it does... hang on, let me check... Nope, it doesn't. That's gonna have to wait for a while I think. I don't know, these chapters are popping up in a rather sporadic order, so I have no real idea...

-RamblingPhilosopher - Well if you say so, the most important judgement on yourself is your own... o.o -- And nope, Amaya ain't backing down without a fight. And now poor Kaede has to deal with her. Yep, Kashikari... Hopefully he'll be an interesting enough character, neh?

-Clouds of the Sky - Oh, sorry! Feel free to tell your teacher that it was my fault!

-Kuroi - Lol! One of your friends? Huh. Well, I can't be sure, but is it Ania24? I don't actually know, but if I remember correctly she started reading a few chapters ago, and she did say that one of her friends told her about this story, so... Lol, still, you're telling people about my story? Cool! And thanks for the ramen! I was starting to feel a little hungry, now that I think about it... Aw crap, now I really am hungry! I gotta go get something to eat... Suppose I should finish posting this though, neh? Man, I get sidetracked _way_ too easily!

-ladyx12 - Lol, well I'm still keeping your Sess/Amaya suggestion in mind, but I can't make any promises about that. It was really never something in the original plot... but then again, there's not a lot of this story that was. Still, I'll see what I can't do, and then see if I can't do it. Still, that sounds like a fairly romantic scene. I'd have to find a way for that sort of situation to take place first though... Since Sesshomaru seems more the type to just stare coldly at a person until they finish talking rather than actually tell them to or try to make them be quiet. -- And I'm from Canada! Or did you want more specific than that?

Well that's about it... I know everyone wants to know what's happening with Kaede and Amaya, but my muses don't feel like telling you just yet apparently, so this is what they've come up with instead... Damn idiots...

Oh, and Wish-full Thinker, sorry, but I think this chapter might be a bit more reflective again...

Understand 

Inuyasha and Kagome kept almost entirely to themselves for the next week or so, as did Sango and Miroku.

The kitsune, Shippo, and the fire-cat spent their time getting to know Rin and Kohaku, since the boy was not entirely ready to meet up with his sister just yet.

Sango had been a little disappointed to hear this, but had understood and accepted his reasons and left him alone for the time being.

Sesshomaru had mostly been busy with affairs between other clans and countries-- ones who refused to help, or were all too eager-- to notice them much, but when he actually sat back and took it all in, he was more than slightly startled at how much things had changed.

There had been a point, he was certain, somewhere along the way, where he had been unable to stand humans.

Now he had five of them staying in his castle, and he was working with a ningen witch to plot against Naraku.

Not to mention the fact that he was finally on good terms with his half-breed brother after years of them trying to kill one another, and he had four unexpected youkai in his charge, though three of them were more than capable of caring for themselves.

And the horses were only temporary guests.

Or so he hoped.

Yet they had a tendency to disappear for long hours of the day, and then return near dusk, sometimes with another of their herd accompanying them. By the morning the intruder would be gone again, and the horses would likely be out grazing somewhere.

Sesshomaru let all his "guests" do as they would for the time being, observing by their short run-ins how they were all slowly improving-- having more than just skin dangling from their bones, walking about without help... sometimes even smiling again.

And he would observe them in bemusement, wondering when he had finally started to weaken enough to let creatures like this hang around him.

He supposed the first slip must have been with Jaken, and then it all went downhill from there.

It didn't really matter anymore, they would all be leaving eventually, and for the time being he could live with their presences.

He was actually starting to get used to them, strange though it may seem.

And, when he thought about it, it was rather difficult to go back to imagining life without them.

The constant sounds of Rin and Shippo running around like mad things, of Sango helping Miroku as he stumbled around, and of Kagome as she cheered and praised his younger brother throughout his training.

Or even those subtle and delicate whispers the two couples shared when they thought no one could hear, but that his sharp hearing picked up on anyway.

In fact, it had gotten to the point where silence was a rare thing, and bouts of silence were enough to cause suspicion within the castle.

It was strange, but not entirely unwelcome, looking after and protecting all the unexpected house guests.

It reminded him of when his father had been alive, and there had been a constant amount of noise and movement in the castle as people-- demons and humans alike-- moved in and out.

He had always wondered how his father had been able to stand the constant stream of intruders-- especially the humans and lesser demons-- always moving in and out, causing all kinds of commotion.

Now though...

A slight commotion from the grounds below caught his attention, and Sesshomaru looked down at Kagome and Inuyasha through the window as they had an exchange of some sort.

He watched as Kagome, who had clearly said something mock-taunting to his little brother, let out a sudden shriek as said hanyou growled and charged at her, causing her to whirl about to run, only to be caught a moment later and pinned easily to the ground by Inuyasha, who was looking quite proud of his accomplishment even from this distance.

Sesshomaru felt a small smile tug at his lips at the sight, never having seen his brother in such a carefree or playful mood as he was with the miko and turned his attention back toward his own thoughts.

And it was strange to him, to think that, after all these years, it had taken his brother, five lesser demons, and six humans to finally get him to concede defeat-- to see what his father had seen so long ago in all these creatures.

And, even stranger, he found that he was not disgusted with the thought.

He turned away from the window with a thoughtful expression on his face, and looked down at Tenseiga, which was pulsing faintly against his side.

'_Father...' _He thought quietly, staring at the sword he had once deemed so useless-- the blade that had set more than one of these chains of event in motion '_I think I finally begin to understand.' _

As if in response, the blade let out a larger pulse then normal, and then grew silent, content for the moment with it's master's choice.

Glossary

Kitsune - Fox

Ningen - Human

Youkai - Demon

Hanyou - Half-Demon

Miko - Priestess

**SPECIAL THANX TO: Punk Rock Miko2, xolovexinuyasha **(down with volleyball! )**, wolfygirl13 **(hope things start to go a bit better at the factory for ya )**, Black Betty, Sexy Kat, Inume-Blue, Almandine-Azaleea, cocoke5, Ania24, RaMbLiNgPhIlOsOpHeR **(You like the name thing, right?)**, Clouds of the Sky, Kuroi **and **ladyx12 **

Don't think I have any pocky at the moment, but I'm going out to New York Fries, so you guys can have some virtual ones of those until I get some more!

CMoC - For you - Staind, Hanging by a Moment - Lifehouse, Savin' Me - Nickelback, Fly - Hillary Duff (Proabably done all of these songs to death, but they're what I'm listening to right now, so... )


	61. Flight to Kashikari

A/N: Hm, Hm, Hm. Lots of birthdays this time of year, ain't there?

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Lol, yep, at least he's starting to realize it...

-Clouds of the Sky - Oh, well then I'm sorry I made you late. I'm not sure what else I can do about that... But thanks for the passing grade! Probably the best mark I've gotten in a while!

-Almandine-Azaleea - No, you're right. He tends to be a very quiet person (I think anyway) though that may be an effect of being so cold all the time. Still, quiet people tend to think. A lot. And it gives them a lot of time to develop ideas and theories that are more complex that a person who talks a lot might. That's not to say that they're smarter, they're just not as distracted. And that's probably where the saying "It's always the quiet ones" comes from. So I guess we'd better watch out for Sesshomaru, he could be dangerous! But then again, I suppose that goes without saying! -- OH, and thanks for your review on Subjection, Subjugation by the way! I don't know when I'm gonna get around to updating it again, so I figured I'd better thank you here!

-Black Betty - Lol, well I personally think that he always knew he had to protect them, he was just too damn headstrong to admit it cause it's a weakness, and he is the "killing perfection". -- And thanks for reviewing Subjection, Subjugation! I'm glad you're enjoying it! It's always nice to have twisted readers... gives me someone to relate to!

-lunerfox - Is it really? Well then, by all means, I'll give you a couple of updates today, hows that sound? This chapter, and we'll see if I can't manage another one! Really, that's just about the best b-day gift I can manage virtually! So otanjoubiomedetougozaimasu to you! -- That word that is nearly a sentence by itself is supposed to be Japanese for Happy birthday, but I don't actually know if that's accurate...

-Wings Of Fayth - Lol, well maybe not nice, he's still gonna be cold like he was, he's just starting to see things in a different light. That's all.

-Ania24 - Well I'm glad you liked him! And thanks for reviewing my new story! Don't know when I'm gonna update, but I figured that, since I know you're probably gonna read this, I might as well thank you early!

-xolovexinuyasha - Oh no, by all means, curse away! Hell knows I do it enough! -- Sorry about you having to play volleyball though. I mean, seriously, that is a sport that I have always and will always _hate_ and to see a fellow hater suffer like that... Still, I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter... maybe these next couple will help cheer you up a little, neh?

-Lord Makura - Lol, now is that cutie Inu-Yasha, or just cutie Inu in general?

-ladyx12 - Oh, well I'm from Canada (or Canadia, whichever you prefer), more specifically Alberta. People down here listen to that sort of stuff as well... just not as much I don't think. Not me. I, personally, have a very low tolerance for rap and things like that. I, personally think a lot of us Canadians might just listen to rock/pop because most of our bands are like that. Not me though. i just listen to it because I like it. I don't give a crap where the people are from. -- Lol, well I always try and keep everybody's ideas in mind, but still, yours is definitely one of the more interesting ones. Lol, and I'm glad you told me your changing it. A couple people changed it once, and I had no idea, and I started talking to them like they were different people... it got really confusing!

-woflygirl13 - Eep! Lol, sounds like you could use some powers of your own to help deal with that mess! Yeesh! Poor Inu! I suppose you did warn him though! Still, it was just make-up... now he's in Rin's surgery! Woosh! I suggest you keep an eye on that, just in case... unless, of course, you have a weak stomach, then... well I don't really know what you'd do, but still, don't want a dead Inu now do you? And maybe Naraku isn't as good as he's pretending to be down there, neh? Poor Sesshomaru though! I mean, I'm no guy, but that still... had to... hurt... Then again, if Naraku hadn't done that he might have killed Inuyasha. Woosh! Somehow I don't think HAZMAT is going to be enough! I hope you get Miroku and Sango and Kirara down before they hurt themselves! Seems like the rest are already a lost cause... EW! Brittany Spears! I can understand why Sesshomaru went berserk! Woosh! Seems like the only sane chibi's there are Shippo and Rin, and there kids who are acting as doctor and secretary! Talk about out of control! Lol!

-Kuroi - Lol, thanks! Huzzah! -- And I don't know if Ania24 is her penname, it's just a guess, so...

-Sexy Kat - Oh, lol! Yep, he's starting to feel... or at least acknowledge that he _can _feel. And who knows, maybe one of these days he'll actually start to s_how _it too!

-Inume-Blue - Lol, yep! Yay for the two Daiyoukai! And so what if you're weird. Do you know anybody who isn't? "Everybody is somebody else's weirdo." Besides, if you weren't weird you probably would have gotten scared off from this story a long time ago. -- Oh, yeah, school can be a real pain. And I don't know about the spelling. Illegal is one of the words I've always had trouble remembering the spelling of. -- Lol, well I'm glad I could help some! Let me know how it goes! -- And you were close. It's Izayoi.

Don't feel like talking anymore at the moment -- I've got to go work on the next chapter!

Flight to Kashikari 

Amaya mentally narrowed her eyes as she soared along next to Gouka, glancing over at the old priestess riding on his back, before looking at the lands soaring by beneath her.

They were fairly high up now-- high enough that they barely had to swerve to avoid some of the lower mountains, her wingtips brushing against the crowns of clouds that they donned.

The landscape was not entirely entertaining to her, and seemed to be getting slightly more desolate and barren the further into the mountains they went, the trees crumbling and fading away until nothing but the most decayed and twisted of them could be seen to be growing.

Yet it was clear that they were making some progress-- they had left Naraku's miasma several leagues behind them already, which meant they were in a domain he had yet to reach.

A domain where a very powerful creature lurked, holding him back from entering it's territory.

And this both pleased and worried her.

Because she knew that, if the plan to rise against Naraku failed, then, if she could convince Kashikari, they would at least have somewhere to flee to and regroup for a while.

However, the further and further she got from Naraku, the weaker her hold over Kana's mirror and his mind her grasp became.

So far she had been using her strongest and subtlest mind spells to stop him from considering to bother checking on Kagome and the others-- or her for that matter. She had been placing similar spells on Kikyo, though, since the woman was a priestess they had minimal effects, but it had kept the priestess's train of thoughts going pretty much in circles-- constantly wondering where Inuyasha was, but never actually having enough focus to figure it out.

Yet now that she was so far away, either of them could break free from her grasp easily enough, and then she could only dare to imagine the chaos that would ensue.

Still, it was necessary to go on this trip.

Kashikari was old and wise and incredibly powerful.

He also had very low tolerance for others who disturbed him, and would not hesitate to destroy any he thought to be intruders.

Even sending mind messages to him wouldn't work, since his mind was so carefully blocked, and sending another with her own mind messages would be suicide for that other, since Kashikari would likely not care who sent them.

In his mind, if it was not important enough for them to come to him themselves, then it wasn't important enough to be bothered with.

Still, she hoped that he would listen to reason.

It had been many years since she had met with him, and since he had come up with many ways to hide himself from detection.

Which is why she needed Kaede-- only a priestess would be able to detect the barriers whereabouts, let alone break some of them.

And, once broken through, Kashikari's barriers almost automatically sealed up again, which meant that, while they would be safe from detection within his barriers, it would be quite a fight to make it through.

After that she would need to convince the ancient beast to help them.

She didn't expect him to join in the battle, but hopefully he would allow them to harbour here if things went amiss in the battle with Naraku, and Sesshomaru's lands were no longer safe.

That is, assuming she could reason with him.

And, when it came to a creature like Kashikari, there was simply never any guarantee of that.

**SPECIAL THANKS AND LOTS OF POCKY FOR: Punk Rock Miko2, Clouds of the Sky, Almandine-Azaleea, Black Betty, lunerfox **(otanjoubiomedetougozaimasu!)**, Wings Of Fayth, Ania24, xolovexinuyasha, Lord Makura, ladyx12, wolfygirl13, Kuroi, Sexy Kat, Inume-Blue!**

CMoC - Brother, My Brother - Blessid Union of Souls, Good Riddance (Time of your Life) - Green Day, Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day, We are One Tonight - Switchfoot, Everywhere - Michelle Branch, Fly - Hillary Duff, Bring me to Life - Evanescence


	62. Comfortable

A/N: Another WAFF chapter for Inu and Kag. Hope everyone likes it!

Comfortable 

Kagome sighed as she snuggled back more fully into Inuyasha, causing the half-demon to shift slightly to accommodate her.

The new position wasn't _quite _as comfortable as the other, but it allowed her to be closer than ever to him, and that was far more important to her than her comfort.

'It's hard to believe, isn't it?' She mused out loud, feeling his eyes coming to rest on her. 'We've been free for a week now... and everything seems so much like a bad dream now... so far away.'

Inuyasha's brow furrowed, and he looked off at some distant place Kagome couldn't see. 'Not for me.' He whispered softly.

Kagome glanced back at him, and she could see the anxiety in his face. She mentally sighed as pain shot through her, knowing she could do nothing to ease his own.

Inuyasha had refused to tell her anything about what had happened with Naraku (though most of it was guessable). She didn't know if this was to protect himself from more pain, or them. Sesshomaru also had said little, not that she saw him much. She was still uncertain how to behave around Inuyasha's former-rival, but that hardly seemed to matter, since they normally only saw him at meals, or when he was conversing with other lords from faraway lands.

They didn't bother him in either situation.

The Inuyoukai had simply said that Inuyasha had endured a great deal while in Naraku and Kikyo's possession, and that, when the time was right, Inuyasha would have to be the one to tell them. Until that time, he had forbidden them from question Inuyasha too much about it.

Normally there might have been some indignance that he ordered them around, but everyone knew he was right-- that they and Inuyasha owed him a lot more than just thanks for the hospitality-- and they did not move to break the rule.

She also hadn't seen too much of Sango and Miroku.

It was some sort of unspoken agreement after they had all gone off on their own when she and Sango had first arrived: She would spend her time with Inuyasha, and Sango would spend her time with Miroku, and then, when they were all ready, they would come together again.

Shippo was too young to understand why this sort of thing was happening, but that was alright, since his own understanding seemed to be set in place, and he spent most of his time with Rin anyway.

Kagome was a little guilty about leaving them all alone like that for so long, but it couldn't be helped.

None of them were ready to come together again.

And besides, she liked spending this time alone with Inuyasha.

She snuggled into him once again, wiggling about in his lap for a moment, and Inuyasha shifted again to accomodate her, his arm coming to wrap around her after a moment before he let out a small huff of annoyance.

'Would you stop wriggling around like that? You're going to make us fall!' He said, his voice only holding half the venom it used to when he would say things like that. Kagome frowned up at him.

'I'm just trying to get comfortable.' She said slowly, and Inuyasha stared at her, still frowning.

'If you wanted comfortable, we should have gone to a bed, and not been up in a tree.' He said.

Kagome's eyes widened slightly as pink flared up in her cheeks as she stared at the half-demon.

Inuyasha looked back at her in confusion for a moment, before relisation dawned at just what that statement had been imply, and his own face heated as well, his ears flattening and his eyes narrowing as he glared at her.

'That's not what I meant, and you know it!' He said heatedly, and Kagome smiled at him, rolling her eyes and then leaning back against him.

At once his arm moved to steady her, making certain she wouldn't slip off the treebranch they were perched so precariously in. She pressed her cheek against his collar, and felt more than heard the deep intake of breath.

Kagome frowned slightly and looked up at him. 'Inuyasha... were you smelling my hair?' She asked softly.

'Yeah? What of it?' He asked, staring at some unknown spot near the horizon.

Kagome was slightly surprised by this. Most boys in her time would be embarrassed if they were caught smelling a girl's hair. But then again, they weren't in her time, and Inuyasha most certainly wasn't "most boys," maybe this was natural for him...

'Why?' She asked slowly.

Inuyasha just shrugged.

'Just trying to remember. That's all.'

Kagome stared at him a moment.

Remember what exactly?

Kagome didn't have long to contemplate this as she suddenly remembered something else.

She hadn't been home, to her own time, in... months.

Her family would be incredibly worried about her... She needed to get back... to see them...

'Inuyasha,' she said softly, still not managing to draw the half-demon's gaze to her.

'Yeah?' He returned, just as softly. She paused a moment, biting her lip, remembering how bad it had been all the other times she had asked to go home. Now they weren't looking for the shards, but they were in more danger than ever... she didn't want him to freak out on her... but she needed to get home still... just to let her family know she was alright... maybe get some more medical supplies or a change of clothes, because, as nice as these old-fashioned kimono's were, they weren't all that comfortable to her.

Her silence drew his gaze, and he frowned at her, watching as she continued to abuse her lip, feeling the nervousness pouring off of her.

'What is it?' He asked, genuinely concerned. And now it was Kagome who wasn't look at him, staring down at the rough bark that made up the bough of the tree they were sitting in.

Kagome frowned slightly as she stared at the rough patterns of the bark and mentally chided herself.

This was ridiculous! They had been locked away for so long, each of them had come out a changed person-- there's no saying that Inuyasha _would _even freak out on her!

He might understand her desire to go home-- to see her family-- having just so recently regained his own.

Besides, understand or not, it didn't change the fact that it _needed_ to happen. She needed to see her family, if only for a short time.

Building up her determination, she looked up at Inuyasha's worried golden eyes and just let it out. 'Inuyasha, I need to go home.'

The stunned silence that followed was more than enough to make some of her resolve crumble.

Inuyasha sat there, his golden eyes slightly wide, just staring for the longest time. So long that Kagome began to fidget and was forced to drop her gaze from his own haunted one.

'Kagome...' He said softly, but that was all he could get out, before the girl suddenly cut him off.

'Look, Inuyasha, I know you don't like it when I leave, but this is an emergency! I've been gone for months without so much as a visit, and my family has no way of contacting me, and they can't very well look for me or find out anything since only you and I can get through the well, and I need to let them know that I am alright, and then I can get some more supplies and things for us, not to mention restock my first-aide kit, and maybe even bring some things to help with the battle.' Kagome stopped and took a breath, while Inuyasha blinked at her, his eyes still wide. Kagome felt some more of her resolve crumble away. Dammit, why couldn't he just shout at her? _That _she could deal with.

'Kagome...' Inuyasha tried again, but again was cut off, as the miko moved to defend her situation from the half-demon.

'It'll only be for a couple of days, Inuyasha! Not that long! I just need to let them know what's happening and... I need to make sure they're alright...' She trailed off, but Inuyasha could still feel her tenseness, just waiting to jump up and defend herself again.

'Kagome.' Inuyasha said firmly, not wanting the girl to interrupt him. His tone surprised Kagome, and she looked back up at him. He stared hard at her for a moment, before speaking again, his tone softening back to the same not as before as he said 'It's alright. You can go.'

Kagome very nearly fell out of the tree from that, as she stared at the half-demon in utter shock.

'What did you say?' She asked slowly, certain she had heard wrong.

Inuyasha frowned and cocked an eyebrow. 'You got a hearing problem or something?' He demanded. 'I said it's alright for you to go home.'

Kagome opened her mouth to respond, but found she couldn't think of anything to say. For a moment there was silence as Kagome mulled over these things, before Inuyasha unexpectedly spoke again.

'But' he said softly, making certain he had her attention before he continued. 'I'm coming with you.'

Kagome stared at him a moment in surprise, faint protests and "what ifs" trying to bubble to life within her, while another part of her secretly thrilled at the idea.

She didn't want to have to go alone.

She didn't want to leave him behind again.

'Alright.' She said softly. 'We'll go together then.'

Inuyasha's own eyes widened slightly in surprise that she had actually agreed to his statement without even a little bit of a fuss, and then he nodded. 'Guess we will.' He said slowly.

Kagome smiled at him openly for long moments, making a slight flush return to his face, and after a moment he gave a small huff and looked away again.

Kagome smiled and then leaned up to give him a small kiss, watching the heat rise in his face even more.

She nearly laughed at that, loving that he could still be so shy after everything that had happened.

Inuyasha scowled at her, and then reached up, carefully turning her around and pulling her against him so that her back was against his chest.

Kagome smiled and burrowed back, deeper into his embrace as he wrapped his arms around her.

'You know' she said after a moments silence in which she very nearly had fallen asleep. 'You're way more comfortable than any bed.'

Inuyasha "keh'd" indignantly, making Kagome smile, before, feeling completely safe and at ease for the first time in a long time, she allowed herself to slip slowly into sleep, somehow knowing that, no matter what came, Inuyasha was going to be there when she woke up. He was going to protect her.

He wasn't going to leave her again.

END

Glossary

Inuyoukai - Dog-Demon

Miko - Priestess

A/N: Well there you go. Two chapters for the day! Hope y'all enjoy them!

CMoC - So far away - Staind, Fly - Hillary Duff ( -- I really don't like this song as much as it seems, my playlist just likes playing it a lot. )


	63. Conversation

A/N: Hey everyone...

I think I have a bit of bad news... I might not be updating as regularly with this story.

I've currently got about six stories spread out over three websites that I have to update, four of which I have to update on a regular basis, the other two which I need to write epilogues for, plus a bunch of one-shots I need to work on, as well as a continuation for a challenge fic that I need to get posted, not to mention all the crap I have to do in my life off the computer.

I don't know if this will actually cause I great impact on the story though... Considering I usually update at least one story every day... Hopefully I'll be able to keep up a fairly regular update routine. This is just a warning in case I can't-- there probably won't be updates ever one or two days anymore... might take me three or four. Maybe even (dare I say it?) five.

Gomen again, but I just can't keep up updating every story every single day... No matter how much I wish I could... 

Oh, and thanks to everyone who read Subjection, Subjugation-- that story should be updated sometime in the near future... I hope anyway...

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, yeah, he probably is going to be quite the strange character to portray. Hopefully I can have some fun with him too though. -- Lol... _okay_... I'm not entirely certain what to say to that... Just... smile and nod... -- Lol, I quite personally have a very low tolerance for American/Canadian idol (the only judge I've ever seen with any sense on either of those shows is Simon. Paula is an absolute RETARD!) but if you and your stupid friend Samuel like watching it, then by all means...

--cutie-inuyasha-sexy-sesshomaru - Lol, well I have no idea if your name is bad or not (I'm not a name critic) though, while it is a bit of a mouthful (or whatever), it is, most definitely, 100 completely TRUE! Lol, I don't actually have a genre, all I know is that the majority of my music seems to end up being rock... but I just listen to whatever I hear that I like. The only genres of music I can honestly say I have no tolerance for is rap and country. -- Is it cold down here? Huh. Well that's an interesting question. I'm gonna say no for right now, because, at least by Canadian standards (which can be quite different from America, believe me) it's fairly warm... might need a jacket to go out sometimes, but... However, will it be this way tomorrow, I have no idea. We have no set pattern of weather down here. And our seasons are definitely different. Especially in Saskatchewan. Believe me, if there is one province to visit for it's crazy extreme weather, that's it. Their seasons consist of Rainy (Flood weather here!), Blazing hot (Fry an egg on the bloody pavement hot!), Windy (as in, hold onto your hat and strap yourself into your seat windy), and sub-zero temperatures. Lol... okay, think I got a bit carried away in that topic... I honestly don't know how it happens, I just start talking, and WHAM! I can't stop! Anyway... The Bahama's? Nope. I've never actually been out of Canada... not that I know of. I've still got a lot to explore here... why?

-Inume-Blue - Lol, don't worry, everybody got a bit behind with those last two updates. -- And no, don't worry, that's not the "END" of the story. When I reach the end I'll post "Owari" so that you can know, alright? This is just mostly because the little symbols I put up don't always show, so sometimes I let people know it's the end so they don't go wandering into the glossary thinking it's part of the chapter. What kind of ending would that be anyway? I'd have to create a sequel or something... and even then that would be a crap-ass way to end the story... Wait, I can't end it?... _Ever_! OO... Lol, I don't think I could manage that! I could try, but I don't think I could manage it... -- Yeah, I imagine that Inuyasha's just trying to remember her scent... just her in general. I suppose though it's all really up to you and your imagination. -- Will Sesshomaru ever find love? Hm. I don't know. I mean, there was that episode with Sara, but then again she only loved him, and he didn't love her in return... I actually don't think he will. Not in the anime anyway. In the Manga though, maybe, since they're continuing that. Everybody wants him to end up with Rin though. I personally think that's a little creepy (even if she does get older)... Ayame? Huh. Now that's a pairing I've never seen before (probably haven't been looking hard enough). It would definitely be an interesting thing to play out... I mean, she's a little spit-fire but also a bit childish and not unlike Inuyasha in some traits, whereas he's... well, he's him. Still, if it can be introduced in a plausible way, there's no reason it shouldn't work. They made Rin following after Sesshomaru work after all, didn't they? (Though I, personally, think that Koga is going to end up with Ayame. I think that's the only reason they created her-- to give them a plausible excuse to get rid of Koga when they finally put Inu and Kags together). -- Will their relationship increase? Hm. I don't know. I suppose it already has, hasn't it? Everybody wants to see a lemon between them though... woosh... I just can't see that far ahead yet...

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, yes, I do feel special! Seriously though, if you guys don't stop feeding my ego, this stuff is gonna start going to my head! -- Huh... huh... Lol, well that's... an interesting question. The only reason I'd want to pick out my own coffin is to make certain people didn't bury me in one that was really expensive and lined with silk and polished to perfection and whatever else. I'm dead for hell's sake, and I don't think It'll really make that big a difference if I've got oak or cardboard. Lol, sorry, I don't want to make you depressed, but I really hate the idea of someone spending a lot of money to make my corpse comfortable... Ooooooookay, I'll just shut up now... (honestly, I really gotta get a lock for my mouth!)

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Lol, thanks! I'll try to...

-angelwingz21 - Well you're gonna have to wait, because we're not there yet. Still, glad you enjoyed the chapters!

-xolovexinuyasha - Lol, well, actually, believe it or not... I believe it. Maybe that's just because I don't know what either sounds like, so I don't know what the big deal is, but... -- Volleyball _again_! Shit, are they trying to kill you! Still, if it's the last day then hopefully there'll be something to look forward to besides breaking your arms on a fly white circle being pelted at you over a net. -- Lol, well if it is illegle, then I suppose it's not a good idea to go around telling everybody about it, neh? Not that I care, but... You finish a coke? A whole one? Lol, wow, that's quite the accomplishment! -- You curse all the time huh?... Doesn't everybody?

-Almandine-Azaleea - Lol, yep I imagine that would be a good reason, and lots of scents seem to be tied up in hair... And I don't care if you don't review _every_ chapter, just so long as you let me know you're still with me every once in a while, that's fine with me. -- I'm glad you enjoy the way I "alternate" -- I personally don't notice it all that much... when I do though, I'm usually thinking "oh great, switch around like this and jump all over the place confusing the hell out of everyone until their heads explode..." Or something along those lines...

-Black Betty - Lol, well, as long as we're being honest, I'm gonna tell you that I know the second one is better. The first one is just more of a filler and nothing really happening. At least in the second one we get to see some interaction between our two fav characters.

-Ania24 - ... Okay, normally I try and address things in order, but I have to say this first... why would I kill you?... That suggestion is perfectly logical to me (and I am working on Miroku and Sango, they just haven't wanted to come up all that much yet) and even if it weren't, you still have every reason to submit your ideas, and I like hearing all of them. That's not saying that I'll use all of them, but I still like them, so... why would I kill you for that? -- Anyway, glad you enjoyed the chapters... sorry if this seems kinda curt, but my mind just short-circuited, and I can't think of any way to end this review... 

-Lord Makura - Lol

-Sexy Kat - Eh heh... yeah... two chapters every day... falls over... Lol, sorry but I don't think I'll have the energy to do that... -- And I don't mind. By all means, do that. Whatever it takes to get it out of your system. -- Lol, don't worry, Sess isn't going to be showing emotion... not too much anyway. He might smile a bit though... maybe... if I can wrap my head around that... Otherwise, he'll probably stay the same old stoic bastard we all know an love!

-wolfygirl13 - Lol, should I call Willie Wonka and ask him for some assistance? Still, at least chibi's seem to be calming down a bit now and actually _helping _out, which is good... and Sess seems to have given up on the plan to take over venus in a candy made rocket (in hindsight, this is probably a really smart move) adn... well, I'm not even gonna touch the Rin subject. I suppose Inuyasha could tear her to shreds for guessing like that, but then again, she did save his life... or something, so I suppose he owes her... And Naraku's back... hm. Well, hopefully he's... better... Even if he is acting suspiciously normal. -- Lol, glad everybody enjoyed the chapter! And don't worry about the mops, you can keep them -- (BTW, sorry if this is short, but I don't actually have any caffeine within reach, and I am very rapidly draining of all my energy... -.-)

-Farrah - Lol, well hopefully that little curse of yours hasn't been passed onto me. I got this chapter up, so I don't think it has... besides, I don't think I could just leave this story hanging in the middle like that. If there ever comes a time when I don't update for an entire year, I'm probably dead. Or else I killed my computer and have yet to replace it. Either way, somebody died so I have a plausible excuse. Still, I've got no plans of stopping the story. And the stopping of the story is most certainly not an attempt on your life. Quite personally, I prefer poison... (JJ). -- Little kids are pestering you? Huh. Now, are these just random little kids, or do you actually know them?

-Wish-full Thinker - Lol, was it down before? -- Yep, Inu in Kagome's time. But then again, since she's not going to school (I don't think anyway) she might be able to keep an eye on him so there might not be as big a problem as there usually is, neh?

-Kuroi - Lol! Thanks!

-Anime-Dork - Lol, wow, you've been around that long? Still, glad you're enjoying it and that I could help brighten up your day just a little bit! -- My new character? Amaya? Lol, sorry, I don't know if you consider her new or not, but to me she's an old character, and then I've got the other OC's... not to mention the fact that my brain is just about ready to explode (personal thing, nothing to do with you ) so I'm really out of it and am probably not making any sense... just lost my train of thought anyway, so I suppose that doesn't really matter... Yeesh, how ADD am I tonight? -- Yay! I got the characters down! I hate it when I have to (or just end up) putting them ooc without any sort of logical reason... or for a logical reason. Especially Sesshomaru. I don't know why, but it drives me nuts. Maybe it's because people are reading the fic to see _those _characters, not other characters in _those _character's bodies... If that made any sense. Lol, well there you go, you get a full on dose of my ranting power. My condolences to you. -- And Arigato to you for _reading_ this fic! It wouldn't be half as good as it is if it weren't for people reading it and telling me what they think!

Okay is that it?

Okay...

-.-

Woosh!

Okay, well I guess before I go there's only one thing left to do (and no, it's not a disclaimer. Just take a look at all my previous disclaimers for that.)

I'm just recommending the fic "An Unwanted Slave" by soaring-bright-flame. ( check it out here: h t t p / w w w . fanfiction . net / s /2776454/ 1 / -- Without the spaces). It's really great, and I wish I could give it a full recommendation, but I've really got no energy left, so just go read it and... yeah.

-.-

Chapter 63 - Conversation 

'You can't be serious.' Sango said, looking wide-eyed from the miko to the hanyou and back again.

It had been more than a week since they had arrived at Sesshomaru's, but this was really the first time they had all been together since then.

The taijiya had been eager to see her little brother now that he was free of Naraku, but had been advised several times to give him the chance to get used to the idea of her being there again, and so she had spent nearly all her time with Miroku, which was fine by her.

The monk actually seemed to be putting some serious thought into their relationship now that he was conscious and knew how close they had come to loosing it. He hadn't actually groped her once since they had arrived here-- something that Inuyasha, in one of his moments of brash sarcasm, had stated was a clear sign of the apocolypse.

In truth, the hanyou didn't act much like his old self anymore.

He was calmer, quieter, and seemed almost nervous around them. He only seemed to be at peace when Kagome or his brother was near-- only seemed to be comfortable then.

And it was quite obvious how differently the new and old relationships were being forged.

Sesshomaru seemed to be fairly protective of his baby brother now, always watching him. The demon lord seemed more at ease himself now, less cold, as though the frigidness of before had been a direct result of a bitterness he didn't really feel toward his little brother.

Of course, he was by no means friendly now, and he still had a death-glare that could freeze the very deepest circles of hell, but he was definitely different... somehow, by protecting and looking after his little brother, he had been changed.

And Inuyasha was changed too.

None of them actually knew what Naraku had done to the hanyou-- only that it had been much worse than what had been done to them. Kagome told them about what she had seen of the hanyou before she had been dragged away-- the collar, the jewel shards in his neck, everything that she could remember-- but, judging by the way she stated it-- the look that came over her face and the icy flicker in Sesshomaru's eyes-- that had only been a small taste of what the hanyou had gone through.

And his eyes were so haunted now...

Yet, for all that, he seemed to be doing well.

And it was a little strange sometimes to see him in his new state.

In Sesshomaru's presence he was, not timid per se, but definitely submissive in most manners, clearly understanding that his brother was there to protect him, and accepting that protection in any way it was given.

However, in Kagome's presence, he seemed to almost switch roles, always hovering near the girl, his youki silently warning away any that sought to approach her and do her harm.

Sango doubted Kagome could feel it, but even now, while they were all here and so relaxed, that same sort of protectiveness hovered around the hanyou and the miko.

Kagome frowned slightly at glanced at Inuyasha, who was standing a few centimetres behind her, silent, staring at Sango and waiting for the conversation to run it's course.

'Of course we are.' The miko said after a moment, looking back at the slayer. 'It's been forever since I've been to see my family. They'll think I've been killed or something. I can't just let them go on believing that!'

'But if you do this you _could _be killed!' The slayer said in exasperation, looking to Miroku for help. The monk, however, seemed uninclined to say much-- seeming more content to give this situation another of his silent assessments.

'That never stopped you.'

Sango turned wide-eyed back toward the other two, her eyes focusing on Inuyasha, who had clearly been the one to say that. There was no mistaking his voice for Kagome's, even if he had quieted down some.

'What are you talking about?' She asked slowly, not certain she wanted to know.

Inuyasha stared at her with a calmness she had never seen in the half-demon before.

'Kohaku.' He said simply. Sango felt her stomach give a small lurch as she realised where he was likely going to take this conversation. And, surely enough-- 'You knew Kohaku was all but dead in Naraku's grasp-- didn't remember you-- and that going after him could get you and all of us killed. But that never stopped you. You didn't give up on him, and you were right not to do so.' His eyes shimmered slightly and seemed to harden, but not in an aggressive or angry way, more in determination. 'So don't ask Kagome to give up on her family now.'

An odd silence fell on the room at the end of the half-demon's words where there was nothing but Sango and Inuyasha, staring at one another, something strange passing between them as Sango began to realise that he was right. She had no right to argue this side of the battle. And even if she did, nothing she said was going to keep Kagome from her family, or Inuyasha from her.

Nothing could have kept her from her brother when he was under a spell and was a spectre, with no real hope of ever remembering or returning to her.

Nothing would keep Kagome from her family when she knew they were alive and worried about her. Especially if she had Inuyasha backing her in this.

The two were quite to forces to be reckoned with on their own, but together, they were nigh on unstoppable.

The moment of silence was shattered as Miroku suddenly decided to join in on the conversation again.

'It is obvious we are not going to dissuade the two of you.' He said slowly, drawing Inuyasha's golden eyes away from the slayer and up to him. 'Though I doubt Sesshomaru will be as inclined to give into this.' The hanyou's ears seemed to droop ever so slightly, but his eyes only hardened all the more.

And now it was Miroku and Inuyasha's turn to have a small stare-down, though it was broken long before Sango's and Inuyasha's had been when Miroku asked the expected, but still surprising question . 'Do you want us to come with you?'

Kagome seemed slightly surprised at this, but, again, it was Inuyasha that answered, though when this conversation had transferred from the females to the males, she had no idea.

'Don't be stupid, baka monk!' The hanyou said in a manner that was almost like his old one. 'It'll be difficult enough to get two of us there undetected, but what would we do once we got there? You can't get through the well-- hell, we don't even know if _Kagome_ can anymore without the jewel shards-- and we could hardly leave you waiting out there in the open. Besides, you're still healing.' He pointed out.

'Alright, we get the point!' Miroku said, lifting a hand up defensively. 'We'll stay here for now.'

Inuyasha flattened his ears slightly, as though not quite believing that the monk had given in that easily, and he glared suspiciously at him for a moment.

'Inuyasha.' Sango said, drawing the half-demons eyes back to her, since Kagome seemed now to have been almost completely excluded from this conversation-- strange, since it _was_ mostly about her. 'That still doesn't help you decide you know.'

Inuyasha frowned slightly as he stared at the taijiya. 'Decide what?' He asked slowly.

'How you're going to explain all this to Sesshomaru.' Inuyasha's eyes widened again, and his ears noticably drooped this time as Sango continued. 'Do you honestly think he'll let you go and do this?'

The hanyou glanced at Kagome and then shrugged. 'I don't know.' He replied honestly. 'I don't know what Sesshomaru will or will not let me do. All I know is that I've very recently recovered my family after I thought it was gone forever. And I'm not gonna let Kagome and her family go through the same thing. At least not without a fight.'

Sango stared at the half-demon a moment, and then, letting out a slightly defeated sounding sigh, nodded slowly.

After all, it's not like there was anything she could do anyway.

Inuyasha's mind was made up and there was nothing else for it.

And, if there was nothing else Naraku had left undamaged in the hanyou, it was his stubborn and unbelievably strong will.

Glossary

Miko - Priestess

Hanyou - Half-Demon

Taijiya - Um... Don't know the exact meaning of this, but basically I think it means exterminator...

Youki - A demon's energy, or aura (what allows them to transform)

Baka - Fool, idiot, incompetent, etc...

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: RamblingPhilosopher **(sorry, no name thing this chapter...)**, cutie-inuyasha-sexy-Sesshomaru, Inume-Blue, Clouds of the Sky, Punk Rock Miko2, angelwinz21, xolovexinuyasha, Almandine-Azaleea, Black Betty, Ania24, Lord Makura, Sexy Kat, wolfygirl13, Farrah, Wish-full Thinker, Kuroi **and **Anime-Dork** -- Sorry guys, I can't think up a proper thanks at the moment... I think my brain just completely melted... (now _there's _a pleasant thought...)

CMoC - Savin' me - Nickelback ( -- Song I was listening to throughout most of the writing of the chapter), Breaking the Habit - Linken Park(sp?), Toy Soldiers - Martika, Homeless Heart - Amanda Stott, Fukai Mori (Deep Forest) - Do as Infinity, Four Seasons - (... I really don't know at the moment, and I'm too lazy to check), This is your life - Switchfoot, We are one tonight - Switchfoot

-.-


	64. Someone to Protect

A/N: I actually managed to get enough spare time to write another chapter and post it! I'm not sure how, but I got it, so who am I to complain?

Although, Inuyasha wasn't on last night so that was a little bit depressing...

-Daughter of Dark - Lol, well I don't know when you'll be reading this, but I look foreward to hearing your reviews on all the latest chapters.

-Bluer Sky - Thanks!

-Wish-full Thinker - Really?... Well okay. If you think of anything, let me know!

-Sexy Kat - Lol... Okay... Well I'm not sure what to say to the first part of you review, so I'm just gonna leave that alone for now. -- Lol, yeah. I have lots of personal experience with being a little... headstrong, and believe me, it'd probably take a lot more than months of imprisonment to get rid of it. -- That's fine. The whole music thing-- a lot of people are doing that now. It's always interesting to see what other people are listening too... although, half the time I never recognise any of the songs on their lists. Like right now, the only one's I've heard on yours are Shinjitsu no Shi and Come.

-Ania24 - Lol, well hopefully this will meet you expectations... I don't know if I like the way I had Sesshomaru react personally, but I really don't have the energy right now to think of anything else... so yeah, I'm being lazy, but hopefully it still works!

-Wolfygirl13 - Lol, so Venus and Pluto and all those other planets are safe now? I thought Sess would be a good leader... he just needed to get off the sugar! -- A closet huh? Doesn't it get kinda... cramped in there? Still, if it keeps you safe from the sugar-high insanity, then I'm not about to complain. Lol, yeah I think Rin and Inuyasha are going to get along _just _fine. -- Lol, yep things definitely seemed to have calmed down from their former chaos. And hopefully Sesshomaru's reaction is adequete to what you were expecting. As I explained to Ania, I don't know if I'm completely satisfied with it, but i'm too lazy to change it now, so hopefully it still works. -- And I'm glad you like it BTW!

-Lord Makura - Lol, I wonder if that would work on Sesshomaru...

-Jtmscola - Well that's fine. A lot of people are reviewing late lately and then apologizing for it (something I can't personally fathom since they technically don't have to be reviewing at all) but, as I said to them, it's fine. I don't mind if you don't review every chapter (that'd be asking a little much, neh?) just so long as you let me know you're here every once in a while. -- 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night, huh? Well, let me be the first to welcome you to the world of the insomniacs! Lol, I've been with the whole 4-5 hour thing before... not entirely pleasant if you've actually got to cope with stuff (which I imagine you do) but it can be helpful for making me a completely restless, hyper idiot. Not that I need help with that, but... Lol, anyway... -- Well, I don't know if he's a badass, but he's definitely not someone you want to mess with. At least, in my mind he's not. But I haven't actually written anything about him yet (really gotta work on that) so I guess that's the only place for him for now... -- Lol, yep, some of the old Inu is starting to shine through. Couldn't really bring it out when he only had Sesshomaru and Amaya because... well, let's face it, even if Sesshomaru is someone Inuyasha used to know, he's changed since Inuyasha knew him then, and our fav hanyou probably wouldn't be able to react normally to that. And he didn't really know Amaya... and Miroku was mostly unconscious... seems the only one he really had to help him get back was Kagome, doesn't it... So I guess it's a good thing I brought her back, neh? -- Hm. Now that's an interesting question. As far as I know, either pronounciation is correct. The noise (cause that's really all it is) is basically just used as a "statement" of dismisal. Now, whenever I hear him make a noise like that personally, it sounds more like a "huh" or something, but I can understand how that could get confusing since "huh" generally tends to mean a question. But basically it's the same thing. So, as far as my limited knowledge goes, Feh and Keh are basically different "words" used to describe/make the exact same noise and it really doesn't matter which one you use. I just used Keh because that's just the one I tend to favour for some reason, but I have used Feh before as well so... Did that help at all?

-xolovexinuyasha - Lol, I never once thought you were a lazy bum! I hate physical fitness tests too... Although I do think I can do push-ups... but I hate doing them. I suppose it's a girl thing-- having trouble tapping into our upper body strength or something like that. Still, best of luck to ya! -- Lol, yeah swimming is fun. But it's not the chlorine that gets to me... it's the instructors! Actually, I don't think our pools are using chlorine anymore... It's dangerous to some people with allergies to it or something... I think they've started replacing it with salt. Are they doing that in your pools? -- Lol, yeah, I know some authors don't update for like months. I've actually tried to pace myself before because I was updating too frequently, but it drives me nuts to not be updating for more than a few days in a row. That's the only reason I can tolerate not updating this story for a few days-- because I'm updating my other stories, so I'm somewhat satisfied. I don't know why it is... maybe it's a quirk of mine. Or maybe I just hate making people wait... or actually want to see this story finished. I've seen so many people start stories that have gotten me right in the thick of the plot and I have been loving ever minute of and then just... BLEARGH! Drives me up the fucking wall!... takes deep breath...lets it out... Okay, I'm better now. -- Anyway... Yeah, I know what Ghost in the Shell is, and I've actually seen a few episodes of it... but I kinda lost interest. It's just not my sort of anime. So I didn't really pay that much attention to the music they were playing. Although, I think at the beginning it played a song that they said had been translated from english into japanese, and that kinda caught my attention. Don't know what it was though... Lol, I think I understand why you found it funny now though... Techno music, heavy metal, and an all but WAFF chapter. -- Lol, exactly. People get waaaaaaaaaaay too worked up. It drives me nuts! Music is supposed to be for enjoyment, yet everyone goes berserk if you download their songs or something for free and they're not making as much money and... oh, poor little sob-story! People enjoy your music enough to download it! Fuck, isn't that the point of making music-- to let people enjoy it?... I don't know-- they're all insane! And coming from me, that's pretty bad. -- Woah, woah, wait, back up! You're going to drink _another _coke? oo Are you sure you can manage that? You don't want to hurt yourself you know! lol.

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, so all we had to do to give Inuyasha "enlightenment" was torture him and make him loose his memory! Why didn't we think of this sooner? Lol, and I agree-- Inuyasha's really a lot smarter than they portray him to be. And, despite the common beliefs of Sango, Miroku and Shippo, Kagome is _not _always right or justified in her arguments of her "sittings" of him. And really, who are they to talk? Lol, well I don't know how much of a barrier he's proved to be, but hopefully you'll still find it enjoyable! -- Urgh! I hate that! It get's so frustrating sometimes! Right now though, I've reached one of the highest points in one of my other stories-- one of the one's people have been looking foreward to _forever_--And I just want to shove all my other stories aside and work on it! I can't really do that, however, since I've got this other story I'm having a writers block with, and a whole bunch of others I've got to finish, and then _this _one... WOosh! Still, hopefully we'll both be able to get caught up soon, neh?

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, if your not careful, you're gonna turn me arrogant! Superhero? Hm. Not the last time I checked. I just love writing. A lot. And... I don't know, I just can't resist it. I don't know if that makes me a superhero... but just to be on the safe side, please keep all kryptonite locked up and out of sight. -- Lol, yep, that is a great song. I don't think it's the greatest song ever, but I do like it!

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Well, I'll try to anyway...

-Black Betty - Lol, yep, Miroku and Sango... I'm trying to get a scene with just the two of them in there, but it's hard... my muses just don't want to write that, and it's pointless trying to convince _them_... (stubborn idiots!)... And don't worry, unless I get killed (or something extreme like that) I have no intentions of not updating.

-Inume-Blue - Awww... I like Naraku! He's a bit freaky and unbelievable at some points in the story, but he's still a cool villain! Oh you read that story too? It's a cool one, but I only just found it like last week so I have no idea about it's updating patterns... hopefully it won't make us wait too long though.

-angelwingz - EEP! Should I call the hospital? Lol, don't worry, I'm not gonna stop updating! Not unless something seriously serious happens and makes it impossible...

Anyway, that's about it... don't have anything else to say right now... hopefully the next chapter will be up soon!

Warning -- There are mentions to conversations from the third movie in this! Nothing that'd ruin it for you, but it'd still give some... minor stuff away.

Someone to Protect

Inuyasha sighed.

After meeting up with Sango and Miroku, he had convinced Kagome to split up with him-- she could go find Shippo and tell him they were going away for a little while, and he... well, he would attempt to _convince_ Sesshomaru to _let_ them go away for a little while.

He had tried using his nose to locate Sesshomaru, but, since this was his brother's castle, his scent tended to be... well, everywhere, and it was very obscure and hard to tell which scents were fresh and which had been there for a while.

Eventually he was forced to go back to the human tradition of wandering the halls aimlessly and opening whatever doors might look promising.

He wasn't exactly sure what he would tell Sesshomaru though, when he actually did find him, so he was a little relieved that he had the excess time to consider this.

Not that it helped, because, by the time he did finally find his brother, he had just gotten right back where he had started from in the first place...

Inuyasha cracked open another random and particularly elaborate and wide door, rather fascinated with the fact that, even after living here so long, he could still know so little about the castle, not really expecting to find anything of interest behind it, since this entire area seemed to consist of dark and abandoned rooms that had long been put out of use.

So he was a little surprised when his eyes almost instantly landed on the figure standing at the opposite side of the room, who happened to be no other than the one he had been searching for.

Sesshomaru stood by the window, backlit by the night sky, his demeanour seeming cold and rather contemplative from this distance. It was clear his brother had been thinking about something, or else he would not have sought out this desolate and abandoned room to get away from everyone.

Not that Sesshomaru ever needed to get away from everyone to think.

It was one of those weird things Inuyasha had always found fascinating about his brother-- the way he could just completely zone out and organize all his thoughts, while never missing a beat of what was happening in the world around him.

He had tried it a couple of times since coming here and had failed miserably.

Usually he just ended up drawing Amaya's attention, since the sorceress still held the connection over his mind, though it had weakened greatly since the last time he saw her.

He wasn't certain if this meant that he had gotten good enough to block her out, or if she was simply severing the connection. Either way it was a little unsettling.

He was used to always feeling her presence, however faintly, within his mind, even when she wasn't communicating or listening to his thoughts, and it seemed fairly hollow now that she was leaving... It was a ridiculous notion, of course, but he couldn't help but feel slightly lonely without her there...

Mentally shaking himself from his thoughts, he stepped into the room, closing the door as softly as he could behind him, not wanting to make any noise.

He didn't know why, but somehow it seemed important to disturb the stillness and silence as little as possible in this room.

His brother didn't look up when he entered-- didn't do anything to acknowledge his presence-- and that made Inuyasha slightly concerned, because Sesshomaru usually gave at least _some _indication that he was aware that he was around...

'Sesshomaru?' Inuyasha asked softly, taking a tentative step forward, only to be stopped when his brother started speaking.

'"Someone to protect."' The demon lord said slowly.

Inuyasha paused at his brother's words and frowned. What the hell was Sesshomaru talking about? Had his brother, perhaps, finally let that little annoying imp he let trail after him everywhere finally get to him? Had the little gama finally driven his brother over the brink of insanity?

Deciding it would be best not to jump to any conclusions (especially not such illogical ones-- even if the toad could be annoying as all hell, he doubted Sesshomaru would ever let him drive him crazy) he watched his brother cautiously and asked the only question he could think of-- 'Nani?'

Sesshomaru still didn't make any sort of move to look back at his brother, just kept staring forward as he spoke. 'Father asked me on the night you were born if I had someone I needed to protect.' He said, his voice reverberating off the walls and drifting gently down to land on the hanyou's ears. 'At first I thought he was ridiculous and a fool for thinking such. What need would I, Sesshomaru, have of protecting someone?' He turned to look over his shoulder at Inuyasha, the moonlight illuminating his pale features and highlighting his eyes a strange silvery colour. 'I had no need to protect anyone or anything. Until you came.'

Inuyasha stared at his brother, unsure if that was supposed to be an insult or just a statement in general, waiting for his brother to continue.

As long as he had known Sesshomaru, the Inuyoukai had never seemed all that inclined to speak of their father in anything more than passing, yet Inuyasha found himself eager to know more. Not, necessarily, about the old Inu Taisho himself, but about his relationship with his brother... why it had all gone so wrong at the end... why Sesshomaru felt so bitter toward the Daiyoukai...

However, Sesshomaru seemed uninclined to speak more on the subject, turning slowly to look back at the window. Indeed, the next words out of his mouth were almost a complete change of subject from what they had been previously talking about.

'If you plan on taking your miko wench to "her time" Inuyasha, then I shall not stop you.' The youkai said, catching Inuyasha off guard. Shit. How the hell had Sesshomaru known that? He didn't have long to contemplate this as Sesshomaru almost immediately continued. 'But know the dangers you put yourself and her into before you act in such a rash manner.' The Daiyoukai looked over his shoulder at Inuyasha again. 'Do you think you can protect her?'

Inuyasha stared at his brother a moment.

His first inclination was to make some brash comment or noise (somewhere along the lines of "keh") and blow his brother's statement off, but he knew that this was a far too serious matter to do something as stupid as that, and so refrained. He didn't much like doing that anymore anyway.

Sesshomaru had taught him a lot of things while being here, and one of the most important of them was to always listen to what another was saying, even if it seemed like utter and complete nonsense.

As his brother put it, "the truth can more often be learned from what is _not _said than from what is, and how much of that truth is gleaned depends very much upon the one who is hearing it."

It sounded a little strange to him at the time, but the longer he thought about it, the more "truth" he could see was behind it, and the more he began to take it to heart.

'I don't know.' Inuyasha said after a moment of silence. 'I don't know if I can protect any of them. But she has a right to see her family, and she'll go after them whether I come or not. The lease I can do is _try _and get her there safely.'

Sesshomaru stared at him a moment, and then looked away again.

More silence filled the room, floating in a not-quite awkward way around them, before Inuyasha finally decided that, with his brother's permission in place, it would be best if he went and prepared to leave before Sesshomaru changed his mind.

He reached toward the door, then paused, looked back at his brother and frowned.

'Don't you want to know where we're going?' He asked softly. Then again, considering he knew that they were leaving in the first place, it wouldn't surprise him if Sesshomaru had somehow already found out everything about the well and Kagome's ability to travel.

'I would be more concerned with your knowing where you are going then with mine.' The elder of them said, then turned toward Inuyasha. 'I have no interest in learning the location of a place where they would dress their women in clothes like they had your miko in.' He said.

Inuyasha blinked then rolled his eyes.

He wasn't going to argue with his brother on that fact.

Kagome's clothes were something that would raise more than a few eyebrows, even in demon society.

The last person he had met to wear clothes that were scantier than hers was Yura, but female demons like that tended to be slight exhibitionists by nature, so it hardly caught his attention. He was too busy trying to stop her from strangling the life out of him with her hair to pay much attention to how she was dressed anyway.

But even her clothes weren't as bad as some of the clothes he had seen in Kagome's time.

He could just imagine how someone like his brother would react to that... okay, well, no he couldn't, but it would likely at least internally shock, if not disgust his brother.

Opening the door, Inuyasha cast one last glance back at the other youkai, before wandering out into the hall.

He shut the door just as softly behind him and then walked off, frowning slightly and watching the floor disappear beneath his feet as he walked and considered several unrelated topics in his mind at once.

He supposed that, to get to the well, it would be best to ask for the uma-youkai's help, since they could travel at breakneck speeds... then again, first he'd likely have to learn the language they spoke... unless of course they could understand Japanese...

And how exactly had his brother known what their intentions were before they had even breathed a word of it to anyone else? Had he somehow been spying on him when he agreed to take Kagome there, or when he was telling Sango and Miroku?

And what had their father meant when he asked Sesshomaru a question like "Do you have someone to protect?"

Inuyasha paused at this, his frowned deepening as a matching one moved up to crease his forehead.

He didn't know any of the story behind what Sesshomaru had just told him, only that the night he had been born was the same night their father died... but that didn't really help with anything... Unless, of course...

'_Did father mean **me** when he asked Sesshomaru that?' _

Glossary (In Order of Appearance) 

Gama - Toad

Nani - What

Inuyoukai - Dog-Demon

Inu Taisho/Inu no Taisho - This would be Inu and Sess's father. It's actually a title, not his name, and I think it means either Dog General, or Lord of the Dogs

Daiyoukai/Taiyoukai (not sure which spelling is correct) - Great Demon

Miko - Priestess

Youkai - Demon

Yura - C'mon, I know you remember her. Yura of the demon hair... she was like the second enemy Inu and Kagome ever fought together!

Umayoukai - Horse-youkai

**SPECIAL THANKS AND LOTS OF POCKY FOR: **-- **Daughter of Dark, Bluer Sky, Wish-full Thinker, Sexy Kat , Ania24, Wolfygirl13, Lord Makura, Jtmscola, xolovexinuyasha, RamblingPhilosopher, Clouds of the Sky, Punk Rock Miko2, Black Betty, Inume-Blue, angelwingz **

CMoC - Numb - Linkin Park, AMV: Breaking the Habit - I don't know who the author of this AMV is, but the song is by Linkin Park too... And yep, that's all I'm listening to at the moment.


	65. Cloak and Dagger

A/N: Well, this chapter really didn't turn out the way I expected... yeesh, now I've got even more stuff to deal with in this fic... Oh well, hopefully it'll all work out... here's to hoping I can remember everything!

Oh, and I made a brief edit in this chapter and changed the function of the cloak... I don't like what I originally came up with... it just seemed stupid...

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, well I actually don't really remember what her voice sounded like, but she really was a bit of a slut wasn't she? I guess that's because they were still playing around with the characters and plot back then... Still are for that matter I suppose, but now everyone is much more developed. Hm... Flattery as my downfall... looks around suspiciously That's it, I'm never leaving the house again, and from now on I'm insulting everyone!... Lol, well okay, maybe I'm not ready to put myself in lockdown just yet, but seriously, until we figure out if flattery really is my weakness, we should probably keep this quiet neh? Don't want too many people to know and all that...

-Punk Rock Miko2 - I actually have no idea. I think he was just trying to get Sesshomaru to understand that there were things more important in life than power, and that, even if you have it, power is useless without someone to protect with it. The "path of supreme conquest" would be a lonely one, and he didn't want Sesshomaru to go through that... I don't really know if it had anything to do with Inuyasha at all...

-angelwingz21 - Lol, well thanks! Neither do I!

-Lord Makura - Lol, well I actually don't know if I agree with my own assessment of who their father meant. As I said to Punk Rock Miko2, I think it might just have been a way of trying to explain to Sesshomaru that, even if he achieves "supreme conquest" he will have nothing. Everyone will be afraid of him, or respect him or whatever. And that's all he'll have. Their fear, etc. I think he was trying to tell Sesshomaru that power is useless unless you have a cause for having it... namely, Someone to protect with it. "But maybe I'm giving him too much credit and reading too much into his emotions."

-Ania24 - Lol, I actually don't know if Sess is "over protective" but I do find him to be fairly possessive of what he has, even if he shows it in very subtle manners. And I can imagine why-- after all, he wanted to possess Tetsusaiga, and Inuyasha got it instead. He wanted Sounga, and his father left him Tenseiga. He wanted to battle and kill his father, and instead Inu Taisho gave his life for Izayoi and Inuyasha. And somewhere along the lines, his mother must have died, and then Inu Taisho took another mate. It seems to me that would bring out the more possessive side in a person-- especially since he was already leading a rather lonely life. Lol, still, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! And I did update Subjection, Subjugation just today!

-RamblingPhilosopher - Oh really? There was some big debate a while ago about which was right, and I really couldn't care less, but I've had people bit my head off before for less, so I figured I'd let people know that there was an alternate meaning and I didn't know which was right. -- Yeah, I knew his was supposed to be Toga, but I'm really glad they didn't make it that. It just doesn't sound like a name worthy of him, even with it's meaning (graceful; sophisticated). I mean, think about it, you've got Sesshomaru (Killing Perfection/Destruction of the circle of life), Inuyasha (Dog-Demon) And Toga... C'mon! Anything less than six letters simply won't do! Besides, I keep thinking of greek stuff... -- Lol, well I imagine they were just trying ti develop some characters that would catch people's interest... it was still fairly new around that time, wasn't it? Still, can't help but be glad she's dead. She was trying to steal poor Inuyasha's hair! And, while it might have been nice to see some colour in her collection of black, we can't have her killing poor Inu! -- Thanks! I was actually unsure if the canon would work, but if everybody here is saying it is, then it clearly must have! -- Passover huh... well, all i can really say is be careful you don't get caught!

-Bluer Sky - Yeah, I imagine it will... who knows, I might even pass 100 chapters! ... Okay, woah... I never actually thought about it, but considering how this story is moving along... yeah, I might actually pass 100 chapters... it's a little early on to be saying that I imagine, but still, it is a possibility... o.O

-Wings of Fayth - Really? Huh. Well then, I'll definitely have to check it out sometime!

-Almandine-Azaleea - Lol, really? You don't think he's too emotional/corny/ooc, etc?

-lunerfox - Actually no, I don't know. Thanks for telling me though!

-Sexy Kat - Thanks! -- Hm... I don't think you're going to get anyone's attention that way. I can ask people at the end of these little rants though, and see if we don't get any responses, neh?

-cocoke5 - Lol, well that's fine! It's good to hear from you again though! Thanks though, and, I suppose for the sake of the readers, hopefully they will get the bad guy in the end! It will probably cut out from the angst though... That's never a good thing.

Hey everyone! I got a little question for you all. As I'm sure some of you have noticed, Inuyasha doesn't seem to be airing anymore in some places. So now I want to know if anyone knows when it's coming back on in australia? Or anywhere else you might know about... Thanks! You'll be saving someone's insanity if you help!

Cloak and Dagger

'Do you have everything?' Inuyasha asked softly.

Kagome frowned and looked up.

'Well there isn't that much to bring. Those horses travel very fast don't they? We shouldn't need all that much...' The miko responded, looking at the tattered yellow bag she had once used to lug around books.

Amaya had somehow fixed it up when she returned it to her back in the dungeon, but it had since become very grimy and torn once again.

Still, it was something from the future-- something she was used to handling-- and she enjoyed using it. Especially since she still had to use these old fashioned kimono's.

They gave her a new found respect for Sango and Miroku and most of the other people they had met in their search for the jewel.

'Doesn't hurt to be prepared.' Inuyasha said softly.

Kagome blinked and glanced up at him, but he was facing away from her and she couldn't see what emotions lay behind that statement.

Sighing, she grabbed hold of her bag and slung it over her back, taking her quiver and bow in her other hand.

She turned and had to move her head back slightly as she found herself face to face with a fairly large dagger clutched in a rough, battle-hardened and clawed hand.

Albeit it, it was still sheathed, and the hilt was pointed toward her, but it was still a dagger, and caught her slightly offguard.

Her eyes crossed slightly in the attempt to look at it, and then she frowned and took a small step back so she could look at it.

The sheath was simple enough-- just an ordinary wooden sheath, though it was a strange, deep blue colour-- like the sky just before a storm, or on a moonless night-- with ornate silver leaves twining their way across it.

The hilt was slightly worn and tattered-- like Tetsusaiga was before it transformed-- and looked like it survived through several centuries, yet not used in many battles.

She glanced from the dagger to Inuyasha uncertainly.

'Take it.' The hanyou said, pushing it toward her hands. Kagome's eyes widened slightly in surprise as her fingers wrapped instinctively around the smooth case, feeling it seem to tremble slightly beneath her touch.

She stared down at the dagger, her fingers unconsciously trailing the leaves across it, and then looked up at Inuyasha again. 'Why?' She asked softly, uncertain what else to say.

Inuyasha frowned.

'Arrows are well and good for long distance fighting, Kagome, but you should know by now that if you go up against an enemy that can get close enough to you, there's no time to aim a bow, let alone draw an arrow.' His expression darkened slightly. 'I won't let you go out unprotected like that.'

Kagome blinked again in surprise.

'Yes, but you'll be with me, and you can protect me...' She trailed off.

She had meant that almost as a joke-- just a way to lighten the mood or make him feel better about this whole situation, but, judging by the look on his face, the effects had been completely opposite, and his expression darkened even more as his ears pressed back.

'But I _didn't_.' He said angrily, his hands clenching slightly as he stared down at her. 'Don't you see? I didn't protect you Kagome? Not any of you! I couldn't stop Naraku from taking you! And I...' He swallowed, looking away and dropping his head slightly so his bangs feel over his eyes. 'I won't let that happen. I won't let him take you away from me. Not again.'

Kagome's mouth opened slightly as she stared at the half-demon, uncertainty welling up within her. Did he really still feel so guilty about what had happened? It wasn't his fault! It couldn't have been helped...

'Inuyasha...' She said softly, but broke off again as he looked back at her, his eyes grim and dark, causing her words to die somewhere between her throat and her lips.

'Take it Kagome.' He said again. 'Please... For me.'

Kagome swallowed thickly and looked down at the dagger again, her fingers resuming their slow exploration.

'Where did it come from?' She asked softly after a moment, if for nothing else then to distract from the current situation.

Inuyasha was silent a moment.

'It was my mother's.' He said softly. Kagome's eyes shot up, but his were cast down, staring at the dagger with a faraway sort of expression.

'It was forged from another of my father's fangs, but not one of the canines. He wanted it to protect my mother, since so many were after her because she was carrying me. It's name is Seiitsu.'

Kagome stared at him a moment, then down at the dagger again. Slowly she gripped the hilt and pulled it out a little ways.

Instantly she felt the power of the gatana pulse through her, seeming to extend itself into her arm as she caught sight of the gleaming moonlight silver of the blade, that was also adorned with a small line of leaves that seemed to run down from the hilt and disappear into the sheath-- likely going all the way to the tip.

The whole blade was gleaming and a bright white aura surrounded it, making it slightly hard to look at it.

Carefully she slid it back into her sheath and looked back up at Inuyasha.

'It's beautiful.' She said slowly.

Inuyasha gave a small nod, then reached around her, and Kagome felt something soft drifting around her shoulders.

Kagome brought a hand up to gently touch the silvery material that was now flowing over her shoulders, gleaming as well with a faint pale aura, though not nearly so bright as the blades.

'What's this?' She asked softly. Inuyasha gave a small shrug.

'A cloak.' He said, earning a frown from her. Taking pity on the human, Inuyasha continued. 'It's not as good as the fire-rat, but it'll work as a shield or armour or something...'

Kagome's eyebrows shot up and threatened to disappear into her hair as she looked up at the half-demon.

Inuyasha just shrugged again, then scowled.

'It's for your own good, ya know? Besides, Amaya suggested that we protect ourselves in whatever ways we can now that Naraku knows we're gone. She's the one who put the spell on that cloak.'

Kagome stared at him a moment more, then nodded her head slowly, and, making sure he noticed, she moved and slipped the dagger into the obi of her kimono so that it could rest in the traditional place next to her hip.

Strangely enough, she felt safer already.

And, if that hadn't made it worth it, then the small, crooked smile Inuyasha offered her certainly would have.

She shyly returned the gesture, fastening the cloak around her shoulders as Inuyasha walked toward the door.

'Where are you going?' She asked with a small frown.

Inuyasha paused and looked back.

'I was going to ask Kazkaen and Arron if they'd be willing to take us to the bone-eaters well.' He said slowly. Kagome's eyes widened slightly again.

'You mean you _haven't _asked them yet?' She demanded.

Inuyasha tensed slightly, seemed to consider for a moment, then shrugged, turned and opened the door.

'I'll be back soon. Don't wander off or anything.' He said, shutting the door quickly and striding off down the hall before she could respond.

Glossary

Miko - Priestess/Witch (In this case priestess)

Tetsusaiga - Iron Pulverizing Fang (I'm pretty sure that's it's meaning anyway)

Hanyou - Half-Demon

Seiitsu - Purity

Gatana - Dagger. Katana would be sword (but that only applies to one somewhere over 20 inches long)

Kazkaen - Wind Blaze (OC)

Arron - Wild Theory (OC)

A/N: Well that's the chapter. I didn't actually think I'd be getting one out today...

Anyway, for those of you who like AMV's I found a fun one with Inuyasha in it -- http // www . youtube . com / player . swf ? video id yN6OHU8oIkg (Without the spaces) that will hopefully be showing up now. It plays to "Falling for the first time" By Barenaked ladies.

And one that I mentioned earlier, but, because of the lack of spaces, don't think showed up: http // video . freevideoblog . com / player . aspx ? fileid 5A46FDB5-6B2F-4FF2-95EB-9E4EC6AE0FD2 & pl wm -- I don't know if either of these addresses are showing up, but hopefully they are and you can find the video's.

Anyway... Now for the most important part:

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: Clouds of the Sky, Punk Rock Miko2, angelwingz21, Lord Makura, Ania24, RaMbLiNgPhIlOsOpHeR **(lol, did the name thing again! ), **Bluer Sky, Wings Of Fayth, Almandine-Azaleea, Inume-Blue, lunerfox, Sexy Kat, cocoke5**

You guys have been completely awesome! Thanks so much!

CMoC - Falling for the first time - Barenaked Ladies ( -- I actually forgot how much I liked this song... hated them for a while!), Brand New World - V6, Numb - Linkin Park (Has anyone heard this song played by TheKen? It's sounds completely different...!), Monteal Calling - Mobile, Middle of Nowhere - Hot Hot Heat, I'm not an Addict - K's Choice, Grip - Every Little Thing, Perfect World - Simple Plan, Crazy - Simple Plan


	66. MindSpeak

A/N: Hey everyone. Happy easter.

Sorry if I seem a little bit... well exhausted and depressed. It's only because I am. Just found out that I'm actually not supposed to talk to you guys before and after the chapters, and my story can be taken down if I don't stop. Not that I'm going to, but it's just a little threat hanging out there now that I don't much care for. Besides, if they take me down, then they'll have to take down every other story on the site with an A/N anywhere in it, and... well, then they'll be left with nothing now won't they? Plus, I think my whole family is starting to get sick... sore throats and all that shit. I hate sore throats and runny noses-- absolute worst things in the world! After Kikyo and Paris Hilton of course. 

Okay, that takes care of the depression part. Now I'm exhausted because I've been running around over the three sites I'm on, updating all my fics like a maniac for the last 4 hours or so, and I only just got to this site... needless to say I'm starting to get a little bit tired, and I don't have a lot of energy right now at all... Hopefully I'll still be able to get through this though.

-Black Betty - Well yeah, maybe I do, but if I didnt give him hell, then I'd never have been able to make this fic, now would I have? Lol, it's fine that you didn't review last chapter though, as I'm sure I explained before, I don't expect people to review every chapter. Just let me know you're out there every once in a while, and I'm happy. Lol, hopefully this chapter will help answer... well, one of your questions. Haven't made it to the well just yet, so that'll remain open, but...

-wolfygirl13 - MIROKU, YOU IDIOT! You know, I don't think Sesshomaru was smart to beat him into a pulp himself. He should have just handed him over to Sango for a little while, that's what he should have done. Guess he just wasn't thinking to clearly, neh? After all, it's not every day he gets asked to bear someone's child, now is it? Lol, apparently though he's not the only one who thought Sesshomaru was a girl. I don't know who, but someone told me that people would see the Sesshomaru wall-scroll they have hanging in their room, look at it for a minute, and then say "she's pretty." Lol, I haven't ever personally mistaken Sesshomaru for a girl (even when I had no idea who he was) but apparently other people have, so maybe he should take that into consideration. -- Lol, so apparently Rin is quite handy to have around, neh? Maybe she was wearing rubber gloves... Now me, personally, I would've just stolen Tenseiga from Sesshomaru and brought them back to life, but maybe Rin's just most sadistic than I am. Or maybe she's just not a masochist like I apparently am (honestly, I must have a death wish to think about stealing Sess's sword!). Lol. Caramel and Cherry juice? Well that's an interesting combination. I don't actually want to know how she came up with that either. Aaaaaaaaaand Miroku's at it again. Well it's good to know things are back to normal down there. Lol, still, I'm glad that you enjoyed all the stuff I had in the last two chapters. Hopefully you'll enjoy the stuff in these two chapters as well (I am thinking about updating twice today ) and... well, my brains starting to short circuit, so I'm really not certain what else to say so... Gomen, but when you respond to about fifty reviews over the course of around ten stories you're updating, your mind really starts to... well, explode.

-Kuroi - lol, well you're welcome to use that idea. I don't mind. It's just one I've had floating around in my head for a while, and I just thought, since he had three swords and gave one to each of his sons, why wouldn't he give at least a dagger to Inu's mother? Considering most women don't use swords back then, a dagger definitely seemed more appropriate.

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Yeah, maybe it is kinda sad. But then again, he can't exactly feel the same sort of grief he would have if he had ever known his father because... well, he didn't. All he knows is that he was an incredibly powerful demon and he died protecting him and his mother and... well, yeah, that's just about it. So maybe that would make things a bit easier for him. But it would also bring up the problem that comes with the fact that he never did known his father, and wishes he had... Or something... Urgh! Lost my train of thought again... 

-Lord Makura - Yeah... well, at least he's trying to make things right again.

-Bluer Sky - Lol, yeah they're fairly good. They sing about such weird stuff that most people wouldn't actually sing about, and they make it work. Like their song "aluminium." Unfortunately, I listened to them too much one time, and as a result, I couldn't stand to hear their music again until only recently. I'm starting to get back into them again now. -- Lol, anyway... So you think I made it work? Well that's definitely a good thing. I really don't like adding things into the stories without making them seem plausible (even though I probably have done it more than a few times). And no, I don't actually live in Australia. Lol, I live in Canada-- all the way over in North America. I was just asking because one of the reviewers was asking when Inuyasha would come back on in the review section, but, considering not too many reviewers actually go back and read other people's reviews, I didn't think they'd get much help there, so I thought I'd help them out in the actual chapter. People are more likely to pay attention there. Lol, but then does this mean that you live in australia? Lol, that's cool, although it's a little weird, because, for some reason my pathetically fried mind had decided that any and all authors/readers from here are from America, unless otherwise stated. I don't know why, that's just what comes out, and I didn't feel any inclination to really change it...

-angelwingz21 - Yay!

-Clouds of the Sky - ... OO... uh-oh... this can't be good... gotta take shelter somewhere!... See, this is what sucks about my powers-- I don't think I actually _can_ hurt you. Unless, of course I want to write you to death, but I don't think that'll work... Lol, but at least you've helped me discover my weakness now, I'll give you that. So my powers are updating really fast, my weakness is flattery, and my arch nemesis is Writer's block. Now that we've established that, maybe I can start my own manga or something. We can have a new issue every week instead of every month! Lol, well I guess since you helped me, I ain't gonna... write you to death. Yet. -- Lol, you're actually gonna check out the AMV? Huh. Weird. And here I didn't think anyone was listening. Lol, well let me know what you think about it I guess-- I just thought it was kind of entertaining, considering how serious some of them can be. There's one on there-- the quality is kind of bad-- but it's called "Breaking the Habit" and it's got Inu and Sess in it, and that one's kind of good too. If you want me to stop talking now, just say the word, and I'll just shut up. Maybe. Well, I'll try to, anyway. Won't make any promises though.

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, well then you better be careful! I'm glad you like my ideas though... now if I could just figure out how in hell I came up with them, we'd all be fine. Lol, well then, again, the only advice I can offer you is don't get caught! Then he won't have any reason to kick your ass. Lol, you have clones? Do they have bellybuttons like you, or are they like Kagome's clone thingy? -- Eep! Gramps is coming? Better run!

-cocoke5 - Lol, okay! I'm glad y'all liked it!

-Ania24 - Thanks! I really wish I could think of something more original to say, but, as I said, I've been at this for like 5 hours now, and I really have screwed up my mind now so I can't and... yeah...

-sourapple10000 - Lol, well I didn't think you had stopped readin. Everyone's really busy right now because of easter anyway, so I really don't mind. Still, glad you liked the chapter!

-Inume-Blue - Lol, thanks! If you want you can have a virtual copy of it when I'm done with it.

Mind-Speak

Inuyasha frowned as he opened the stable door.

This particular stable he was in wasn't necessarily for horses, but rather some youkai of a... larger variety. Like Ah-Un.

However, since the fire-uma could not be placed in a regular stable without the risk of setting it on fire, this was the only place they could be without problems.

Pausing to give Ah a small scratch behind one of his scaly ears, Inuyasha continued on down to the far end of the stable until he reached the two stalls that had the horses in them.

Immediately the young stallion lifted it's head to eye him suspiciously, his eyes blazing as he gave a small snort. Inuyasha cocked his eyebrow.

'I hope that wasn't a challenge.' He said to the horse. 'Cause I'm really not in the mood to fight you right now.' The horse continued to glare at him, dragging one hoofed foot against the ground that sent small sparks flying off at random directions, and Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Had he ever been this bad he wondered before turned toward the elder of the two-- the mare.

By this time she had lifted her head and was staring at him in a much-less hostile manner than her son.

He could feel the messages passing back and forth between the two of them, though because he had not been expecting it really he hadn't been concentrating and didn't hear a word they said. Nevertheless, he decided to join in on their mental conversation.

'_I came to ask you guys for some help.' _He said, not entirely certain if it would work. Now that Amaya was gone, any of the mind-talking abilities she had extended to him had very likely faded, if not disappeared entirely. However, judging by the way in which the two dark heads snapped toward him, it had worked.

The female had a slightly puzzled expression (or as puzzled as a horse can have) on her face as she stared at him. '_You have the ability to talk to us like this?' _She inquired slowly. Inuyasha gave a small shrug.

'_Not really. Amaya used to do this with me all the time. I think she accidentally extended some of her powers to me. I don't think it'll last forever though...' _

The male let out a small snort, and muttered something that sounded distinctly like "witchcraft." Or maybe it was "pathetic" it was really hard to tell with mind-speak.

Inuyasha opted to ignore him as the female continued to speak.

'_That is very interesting, hanyou.' _She said slowly, then twitched her ears back. '_Do you have a name?' _

Inuyasha gave a small nod. '_Yeah. Inuyasha.' _Was all he said. Despite all the time he had spent doing this with Amaya, it still made him feel slightly insane-- like he was having a conversation with himself inside his head, only this time voices were answering back.

The mare seemed to pause for all of an instant, and then continued. '_Very well, Inuyasha. My name is Kazkaen, and my son Arron.' _She said, although Inuyasha already knew this. He wasn't sure how he knew this, just that he did. He supposed it was another thing Amaya had accidentally passed onto him at one time or another. '_You said that you needed help?' _

Inuyasha started slightly. He had all but forgotten the reason he had come here.

'_Yeah. I need you guys to take me and a friend somewhere.' _

Arron snorted.

'_You see mother? They've turned us into carriers-- like that two headed dragon. Next thing you know, we'll be hitched up to a cart!' _

Kazkaen shot her son a look. Inuyasha crossed his arms but decided that, again, it would be best to ignore the uma. The little stallion was, quite clearly, insane, and very hostile, and was looking for a fight with him. If Sesshomaru had taught him one thing it was not to go into a fight that someone was looking for unless you have a reason to battle that person. Or whatever. Unless, of course, they really find themselves in need of being taught a lesson that you know you can get across quite well.

At this point in time he had no reason to fight with the youkai, and, even if it was to get the uma to understand he had no right to be so hostile, he couldn't garuntee that he wouldn't end up kill or seriously injuring the stallion, and then there would be no way for him and Kagome to get to the well.

So he opted for silence.

The mare turned her eyes back to him and her ears twitched forward again. '_Where is this place you intend to go?' _She questioned. Inuyasha frowned. He knew _where _the bone-eaters well was, he just didn't know how to get there. At least, not from Sesshomaru's castle.

He had never used to come here before-- the exact opposite in fact-- and now that he did come here... well, he had no real idea how to get much of anywhere.

So he just had to hope that they would know.

'_It's called to bone-eaters well. It's in Inuyasha forest near the village the old hag Kaede lives in.' _

Kazkaen blinked. '_You have a forest named after you?' _She questioned. Normally such a thing only happened with great Lords or fabled beings. In her opinion, not very many people would consider a half-breed, even one like him, worthy of such a thing.

Inuyasha stiffened slightly. '_It's a long story.' _He said.

Kazkaen gave a small shake of her mane. She could understand that. Still, now she was intruiged. Perhaps she could learn more of this long story if she went with the half-breed. It was always good to know as much about your allies as you did your enemies so you could be certain which really was which.

'_Very well then Inuyasha. We shall take you and your friend to your forest. Hopefully you do not intend to do anything too dangerous or attention-drawing while we are there.' _She said, her eyes locking with his a moment on the last.

Inuyasha stared at her a moment, then smirked slightly as he turned and began to head toward the stable door. '_Only if you think time-travel is attention-drawing.' _He said just as the door slid shut.

A/N: Sorry people, no glossary this chapter. Too tired to do it right now.

**SPECIAL THANKS AND LOTS OF CHOCOLATE EGGS AND STUFF FOR: BlAcK bEtTy, WoLfYgIrL13, KuRoI, PuNk RoCk MiKo2, LoRd MaKuRa, BlUeR sKy, aNgElWiNgZ21, ClOuDs Of ThE sKy, RaMbLiNgPhIlOsOpHeR, cOcOkE5, AnIa24, sOuRaPpLe10000, InUmE-bLuE**

CMoC - You're a God - Vertical Horizon, Fly - Hilary Duff, Remedy - Cold, We are one tonight - Switchfoot, Blurry - Puddle of Mudd, Hanging By a Moment - Lifehouse, Fukai Mori - Do as Infinity, Grip, Yura Yura and Shape of Love by Every Little Thing, Falling For the First Time,Upside Down, Unfinished - Barenaked Ladies, This is your life - Switchfoot, One Day, One Dream - Tackey and Tsubasa, Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows, Breaking the Habit (AMV) - Linkin Park, My December - Linkin Park ( -- How depressing is this song?), For You - Staind, and Brother my Brother - Blessid Union of Souls.

What can I tell ya, I've been at this for a looooooooong while now... Anyway, gotta go post next chapter...


	67. To Hell With It

A/N: There ya go ya bunch of lunatics! Another chapter for you!

Lol, sorry, I haven't eaten today, and I am waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of it...

Anyway, this is a Miroku/Sango centric chapter, so I hope you're all happy with that. Probably some oocness, which is why I'm posting it now, while I'm still too tired to care.

Don't know if anyone's responded to the last chapter yet, but I'm not responding to them this chapter, so... yeah. That's just about it.

Happy easter everyone! I've got one more update to do on my other story, and then I htink I'll go pass out for a little while!

Oh, and i'm not doing and glossary's of CMOC at the bottom, so any questions about the words, I'll answer next chapter...

To Hell With It

Miroku and Sango remained silent as they watched Inuyasha help Kagome up onto the mare, before he himself moved to mount the stallion.

They didn't say a word when Kagome quickly began saying goodbye, and didn't attempt to make any motion to wave or bow or anything like that as their friends moved up into the sky at rapid-fire speed.

They had already said goodbye before, though not in words.

To say it now would make it seem like a true farewell-- like they would never see them again.

Nobody really wanted to admit the fact that they were scared right now. That there was a good chance that they weren't coming back.

Turning slowly, Miroku caught the faintly distraught look on Sango's face (which she let show now that their friends were out of sight) and quickly he turned and laced his fingers with her own using his uncursed hand.

The other one had gotten better-- was almost as good as new as a matter of fact-- but he had yet to actually attempt using it, and he didn't plan to. Not for a while yet, anyway. His body was still fairly week, and one of Sesshomaru's healers had warned him against too much exertion.

Sango's eyes seemed to narrow slightly in confusion, and then she looked down at their clasped hands as though truly not understand who it was that could be touching her.

Her dark eyes trailed up his arm, past his shoulder, before finally coming to rest on his face.

The look on her own suggested she wasn't really certain that he was there at all.

Miroku offered a small, comforting smile, and then gave a small tug on her hand, urging her to walk with him back toward the castle.

Sango hesitated for a moment, as if by staying there just a little longer she could somehow make her friends return safely, before moving and following after him, her feet shuffling slightly against the ground in a way that made Miroku seriously hope they didn't encounter a rock or root of some kind along the way, because she would surely fall if they did.

Luckily enough, the short trip went mostly without incident as they made their way through the castle and back to the room Sesshomaru had provided them with.

It was still strange to him to think that the brother they had so often seen trying to kill their friend was now their greatest aid-- one of the only things separating them from Naraku. They owed him a lot.

But, now when he thought back on it, he had secretly been suspecting for the last few months of their freedom that the Lord of the West no longer had intentions to kill his brother.

The facade was a good one to be sure, but Miroku had made a living out of perceiving what were people's weaknesses in order to trick them and let him "exorcise" their homes.

And he had decided, after seeing Inuyasha and Sesshomaru at hand-to-hand combat without swords to interfere that, if Sesshomaru had really wanted Inuyasha dead, he would have been dead a long time ago.

Not that the half-breed was weak by any means, no, but his power was just different from Sesshomaru's.

The dog demon was a Daiyoukai.

He may not know much about youkai and their customs or titles or anything else, but he knew that, to achieve a title such as that, one had to be _extremely _powerful. It wasn't just a title that came along with becoming the "Lord of the Western lands" or wherever else, since that title was inherited. It was one that had to be _earned_. And Sesshomaru very clearly had done that.

As far as he knew, there had only been about fifty or so Daiyoukai in the past few centuries, two of which were in Inuyasha's family.

That fact alone would give the hanyou a formidable edge, but even more so would the fact that he had, actually, gotten the better of Sesshomaru a few times.

Which, he supposed, would make him something like... a Daihanyou.

Miroku smirked slightly at that thought and shook his head as he opened the door to their room.

Honestly!

He really shouldn't be thinking about Inuyasha and Sesshomaru and their title's and other whatnot right now-- when he had one of the most beautiful women in the world standing in front of him.

She seemed to be saying something, but Miroku couldn't focus on her words.

His eyes had locked in on her lips, watching as they moved to shape the words slipping between them, and he couldn't resist leaning forward and stealing a kiss from her.

In the last week they had definitely become closer, and he had managed to restrain himself from groping her (something which seemed incredibly pointless and childish to him now) and she in return had become much more relaxed around him.

They had even started sharing the same room.

But they had yet to actually kiss.

So he was not surprised when Sango's face turned bright pink and her eyes went wide as she pulled back, away from him suddenly.

'Miroku!' She stammered, though it didn't hold anger, but more uncertainty and embarrassment. Miroku smiled at her.

'Sango.' He returned, one of his hands coming up to gently caress her cheek, seemingly making her more flustered than before. '_She's even shyer than Inuyasha.' _His mind supplied, and his smile widened ever-so-slightly.

Sango's eyes narrowed slightly, her face turning an even deeper shade of red as she scowled at him, and then landed a light slap across his cheeks.

'You lecher! What are you thinking about now that's making you leer at me like that!' She demanded, clearly misinterpreting the small smirk.

Miroku was slightly stunned for a moment as he brought his hand up to the mark on his cheek, but he quickly recovered, silently revelling in the fact that that slap had not held any of the fire of her old ones as he smiled down at her.

'You misunderstand, Sango.' He said, staring down at her as she glared hesitantly up at him. 'I was merely contemplating the similarities between you and Inuyasha.'

The girl's eyes widened slightly and then she frowned again. 'What's that supposed to mean?' She asked, not entirely certain she wanted to be compared to the half-breed.

Not, necessarily because she didn't like him, she just didn't like some of the things he did. The way he ate for example, like it was the last time he was ever going to see food in his life. She could understand that his childhood had conditioned him into that, but it didn't make it any less unappetizing to watch. Sesshomaru seemed to have been training him out of that (and several other, and less polite habits) and she had to admit he had gotten better.

Still, there was still some room for improvement.

Besides, she was her own person.

She had never much enjoyed being compared to other people anyway. She was one of the only women to become a slayer in her village, she was one of the strongest fighters in her village, she was one of the only demon slayers to use a demon as an accomplice, and she was the only one who had survive out of their village when they had all been slaughtered.

Miroku stared at her for a moment after her question, before smiling again and shaking his head. 'Nothing, my dear Sango.' He said softly, turning to go over and sit down on his futon. 'Nothing at all.'

For long moments Sango just stood there, staring in a vaguely stunned manner at the monk, her thoughts in a whirl about all that had just happened. Of course, they usually were when it came to Miroku.

After a moment of putting up with their chaotic nonesence, she quickly yelled at them all to shut the hell up, before moving over and tentatively taking a seat beside Miroku.

The monk didn't really say anything, just wrapped his arm around her and let her lean against his shoulder.

They sat in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts, before Sango slowly cast a glance up at the monk. 'Miroku?' She said softly.

'Hn?' He replied, not looking down.

Sango hesitated a moment before speaking. 'That kiss...' She said slowly.

Miroku sighed and looked down at her. 'I'm sorry Sango. I had no right to--'

'Can we try it again?' She asked quickly, cutting him off.

She watched as his eyes widened comically, and perhaps she might have laughed if her breath hadn't gotten caught in a suffocating manner somewhere between her lungs and her throat as she waited for the answer.

Miroku stared down at her in stunned amazement for a moment, his mouth slightly open still from his cut-off reply, and Sango took advantage to lean up and press her lips against his own before she again lost her nerve.

It was really gentle at first, just her tentatively brushing her lips against his own.

When she finally got her courage up, she deepened the kiss, encouraged by the way his arms came up to wrap around her. A slightly startled noise escaped his lips when her tongue came out to prod at his lips, tapping gently, asking for entrance.

He had been fairly surprised when she had initiated another kiss, but he had not expected her to move ahead so quickly...

Sango mentally declared victory as his mouth opened and his tongue moved out to wage war with her own.

It was a strange (and vaguely slimy) experience, but not unenjoyable as they sat there, her practically straddling him, caught between his raised knees, their tongues exploring each other's mouths. '_This isn't so bad.' _She thought to herself, and mentally chided herself for being so scared about something as simple as a kiss.

After a moment, air began to make itself known as a necessity again, and she drew back, breathing heavily and staring down at Miroku.

Now that oxygen was no longer cut off from her brain, she was beginning to function properly again, and was incredibly shocked as she realised what she had just done.

Miroku, however, didn't seem to think anything was wrong, and he offered her a lazy smile, his breathing still heavy. 'That' he said breathlessly 'Is something that I could quickly become addicted to.'

Sango's eyes widened slightly, and she considered slapping him again (if for no other reason than to get rid of some of her own apprehension) before pushing that thought away quickly and in a rather disgusted manner. _She _had initiated that kiss. _She _had been the leader of it. He hadn't done anything wrong. He didn't deserve punishment of any kind.

She stared at him again, her emotions warring within her, trying to get her to back down, to move forward, to do _anything _other than just sit there.

And she remembered when they had been prisoners-- her promise to the monk then-- how worried she had been... how close he had come...

And she began to feel everything else fade away to nothing as she stared into his deep indigo orbs, which, like everybody else's, had been darkened by all he had been through.

And she felt any inhibitions she may have had before begin to fade away as she realised how ridiculous she was being.

She loved him didn't she? So why should it matter if she kissed him? If he kissed her?

Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship had been far more rocky than theirs for a lot longer, yet they had been doing this since... well, since they had gotten reunited. Even a couple times before that...

And she felt determination well within her at that, hardening her eyes slightly as she continued to stare down at Miroku, making her look slightly like a predator about to swoop down upon it's prey as the last of her resolve not to slip away.

'To hell with it.' She muttered out, and then leaned down to steal another kiss before Miroku could protest or question her.


	68. A Dangerous Foe

A/N: Hey everyone.

Yep, it's me again...

Sorry I haven't been very active lately, I'm afraid that I've had some version of the flu ever since sunday, and I haven't really been able to do much of anything, much less write. I still have it as a matter of fact, but it's definitely toned down, so now I'm crawling out here to put up the next update just for you guys.

Anyway, I really don't want to talk all that much since I can't really remember when the last time was I made a coherent sentence, so...

Oh, but I would like to know if any of you guys know when Inuyasha will start playing again in Australia? I personally have no clue, and I can't even figure out when it's coming back on here, so...

Anyway, I guess it's time to answer the reviews now, neh?

-Inume-Blue - Lol, yeah I imagine time travelling would be fun if we could do it... unless we got stuck somewhere, that is. That would be kinda scary... Still, glad you liked the chapters, and Sango's little phase of disregard for the rest of the world.

-angelwings21 - Lol, you and me both. Unfortunately I have to log in, otherwise they won't let me post this chapter.

-sourapple10000 - Lol, yep. Sarcasm is the best! Oh, the final chapter of your story is up? Cool, I'll have to go and check it out then (and hopefully make it through without falling asleep-- this damn medicine is killing me! )

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, I'm glad you liked them. Yeah, I agree, I would make them too. I actually have a few ideas for them, so I probably could make some, but I'm missing a few things: DVD's to get the clips from. The thingy that lets you take said clips, as well as put them in order and add music. A computer that could handle that shit. Other than that, I am ready to go! -- Lol, a manga about me huh? Oh, believe me, it would _have _to be uncommon! Lol, a loyal reviewer huh? Hm, I wonder who that would be... -- Lol, I thought people would like that line... that's why it's in there.

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Well, after spending so much time with someone like Miroku and being on the brunt of his endless advances, what can you expect?

-Black Betty - Lol I'd return the gesture, but I'd probably end up coughing all over you so... 

-Moonglow Gal - Lol, thanks! It's good to know you think so.

-Ania24 - _Nothing _to complain about? Are you sure? Lol, not that I want you to complain, but...

-woflygirl13 - Yeah, poor Sess, his castle is all full of lovesick humans and he's become their caretaker. -- Eep! Naraku! Are you insane! Although, now I'm half-tempted to go and see if this video really is worth killing people over... I could probably survive through it you know, seeing as how I'm already unofficially insane... but I think it would be better for my health if I avoided it for now eyes chibi-Sesshomaru and Miroku warily He _stabbed_ you? o.o Man, and he calls _my _Naraku evil! Yeesh! Although, I must say I'm actually not all that surprised that it was Shippo who saved you. It seems that, whatever happened to them in the room they were hiding in for so long way back when, they came out as the only two chibi's who are able to do anything competent that won't necessarily threaten any people's life's. Although, I really can't say I feel all that bad for Miroku-- it's his own fault, he shouldn't have gone and gotten drunk like that and then asked _Sesshomaru _of all people. I mean, even when you're drunk and think he's a girl... that's still just not a good idea. Woosh. Looks like he got his punishment in this video though, neh? That sounds... really freaky. Yep, now I definitely am glad I decided to not see it. The description of it was scary enough as it was... Jakotsu has a bar-resteraunt huh? ... Yeah, remind me not to go there, okay? Although, I have to say, Jaken doesn't sound all that much unnatural. Normally he does seem to gape an awful lot, and his mouth is open a lot too, so... but still, _two _times... shudders... Kirara can read and write? Huh. Go figure. Well, I never did think she got enough credit in the show anyway, so maybe now people will pay more attention. -- Kouga's fighting off chocolate alligators? Huh. I don't remember _that _in the movie... but then again, I also don't remember the chocolate factory being filled with a bunch of psychotic chibi's either, so... Although... if they're chocolate, couldn't he just eat them? -- Woah, Kanna really has it in for Naraku, huh? And Here in the series she seemed to be the only one who was actually... well, loyal is a bit of a stretch i suppose, but still... _Why _would Kikyo get rid of her soul collectors? They are so awesome! They're just about the only thing I like about her!... Well I guess this further proves my point of how stupid she is sometimes. -- Lol, still I'm glad you're all liking it, although I have to point out that it's actually probably the sane one's who wouldn't understand it... I swear, you have to have more than a little insanity in you to make it through one of my stories... Lol, and don't worry, that's a compliment. I think it is anyway, but I've been insane for years, so maybe that's just me...

-Kuroi - Lol, well thanks! I don't know about resolve, but it certainly did a beating on my hands, all the writing and typing... woosh! Still, I did screw up though... I am more than a little unhappy with my updates on Subjection, Subjugation, and I am planning on rewriting my two latest chapters... Other than that though, I'm pleased with the way most of it turned out.

-Sexy Kat - Yeah... well don't worry, since I got sick I've been getting lots of sleep. Against my will mind you, but still sleep, so... It's actually made me quite irritable lately. -- Lol, well I did ask about Inuyasha in the last chapter, but I did it again here because I didn't get any responses. Expect from one person who thought I lived in Australia, but that wasn't really helpful to your cause, so...

-Bluer Sky - Oh really? That's cool too! I don't know all that much about Virginia though... but then again, I suppose I don't really know all that much about Australia either. Lol. -- "If I had a million dollars"... lol, of course I've hear _that_ song... hasn't everybody? I agree though, the particular style of that song isn't usually to my tastes, but it's just so much fun that you gotta like it. They're such a weird band sometimes. ... Only one cd? How the hell do you survive! Lol, sorry, no offence or anything, but I am a very big music lover, so that kind of concept is a little bit shocking to me... Even though I suppose my own cd collection is a bit lax, but... Well, thank god for things like WMP neh? --... The story?... o.O... O-oh right, the _story _... well yeah, I guess the reviews are supposed to be about that aren't they... Lol, yep, Miroku and Sango's first kiss... And it seems everybody likes it so far, so that's a good sign. Lol, nope they aren't dead. I try hard to pay attention to all the details and the characters, but I'm afraid sometimes it can take me a little while to get back to them (as I'm sure you've noticed). But nope, they're not dead. I think I'll leave that for a little bit longer, neh?

-inuyasha-kagome-4eva-or-se...(Can't read the rest of it...) - Lol, another name change? Lol, how am I supposed to keep up with you? Well, I don't think there's any feelings being confessed in this chapter, but hopefully you still like it nonetheless.

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, well can't you just hear the mission impossible theme playing in the background? -- Lol, well maybe I'll have to read it when you finally decide to post it, neh? Lol, I don't know what my fav couples are though... I don't much like Inu/kags though... Don't know why... well, now I'm just lying to you. I know why. I don't like Kagome! But Sesshomaru Kagura might be okay... and yeah, I guess I like Miroku and Sango. Even if they keep jumping around each other like idiots... if it can be written in a way that works, then I have no real problem with it. Actually, I think I might know who my fav pairing is, but it will never happen, so I'm not even gonna bother Anyway, good luck with all your little conspiracies to read the stories. I don't know what a Tanakh is, so I really don't know what to comment about on that...

-Almandine-Azaleea - Lol, well I'm glad you liked it. I know I've probably been a bit lax on the Miroku Sango side of this story recently, but it really wasn't my fault. My muses didn't want to write about them, and when they don't want to write about something, they are _not _going to write about it. End of story. Lol, and as I'm sure I've said before, don't worry about not reviewing every chapter. I mean I prefer it if you do, but really it's not a necessity.

Is that it?

Yeah, I think that's it.

Oh, no wait, it isn't. I almost forgot to say, I probably will not be updating this site a whole lot for a little while. I still am trying to recuperate from my flu, and have only actually just started writing again. Now, generally that wouldn't be a problem, but the story I'm writing for isn't here. It's actually on a completely different site and my muses are adamantly refusing to write about anything else. Which is understandable, I suppose, considering I just reached one of the highest climaxes in that story, but... Anyway, not the point, the point is, updates are likely to remain slow for the next week or so... sorry, but that's just the way it has to be fore now...

A Dangerous Foe 

Amaya sighed and cocked her head to the side, watching as Kaede moved around the rocky cliff, mumbling to herself as her one good eye assessed the barrier before them.

'Are you having fun over their, priestess?' She demanded, her tone dry.

Honestly!

They had been travelling for nearly a full week (though, if the damn woman hadn't needed to stop and rest so often they could have made it much sooner) and now that they had finally reached the outer circle of Kashikari's barriers, the priestess was taking more than her share of time just staring at it.

'Patience is a virtue, Amaya. You should know that by now.' The woman returned, and Amaya shot her a seething glare.

'_Hag! How dare she lecture me.' _She thought dryly, before throwing her glare up toward the sky.

It was a perfectly beautiful day, if the sea of light grey clouds were anything to go on, which, considering their location, they usually were.

They were so light and thin today, that it probably meant somewhere else there was a crystal clear blue sky.

How utterly wretched.

Amaya sighed again and then looked back at the silvery barrier.

Dammit!

If it had been _anyone _else's barrier, she was certain she could have broken it herself, but, as it were, Kashikari was no fool and had taken many things similar to that into account.

As such, not only could some of them only be broken by miko's, but some could not even be detected without their spiritual power.

And it irritated her to no end.

Gouka shook his mane, his hooves tapping slightly against the stone as he walked toward her, causing steam to rise from his body in the chill air.

'_You are fairly eager to see this Kashikari person.' _He said in her mind as she continued to glare straight ahead. '_What is it that has you so interested in him? What sort of a demon is he?' _

Amaya cocked an eyebrow. '_Kashikari is not a demon. Not per se anyway. The race he comes from is very similar to demon's though... But far more ancient. He was born into the darkness when the earth first started to turn, and has lived and wandered here ever since. Long before any of the creatures we now refer to as demons came to be.' _

Gouka stared at her a moment, his eyes flickering, before turning toward the barrier. '_Indeed. I had sensed some sort of strange and ancient magic about this place. He must be powerful indeed.' _

Amaya smirked. '_More powerful than you could ever know.' _She said. '_Which is why he would make a good ally...' _

Gouka turned back toward her. '_You say "would" as though he is not already. Does that mean he will not join forces with you?' _

Amaya snorted, earning a harsh glare from Kaede, who was sitting cross-legged and seeming to about to start a chant of some sort.

'_Kashikari joins forces with no one. He exists. That is all. He does not trouble himself with the wars of humans and demons.' _

Gouka stared at her, his ears flicking back slightly in confusion. '_I do not understand. Why then do we go to him? Are there not others who will help that we could better use our time to locate?' _

Amaya raised an eyebrow. '_You don't think that it is worthy of our time to come speak with one of the most powerful beings in existance?' _She asked, making the horse go silent. She turned and looked back at the barrier, her eyes far away.

'Let's just say that Kashikari is an old friend of mine. I simply wish to go into council with him one last time.'

Gouka looked off in the same direction she was, neither paying attention to the chanting of Kaede in the background. '_You say that as if you do not believe there is any hope of victory against Naraku.' _

Amaya looked over at him, her dark eyes all but hidden in the shadows on her face. '_No. I say it as if I do not believe there is any hope I will see **him** again. Naraku has nothing to do with this.' _

The stallion considered this a moment, before shaking his mane again and tilting his ears forward. '_But you do not believe that there is any hope of us winning.' _He said. Not a question.

Amaya cocked her eyebrow again and locker her dark eyes with his own fiery ones. '_Do you?' _She countered.

Gouka's ears tilted further foreward as he pondered this, then fell back against his head again. '_Maybe.' _He said. '_But I would not raise my hopes. Naraku is a dangerous foe.' _

Amaya tilted her head slightly in agreement. '_Hai, he is indeed.' _She smirked, a small but dangerous smile that made her eyes glitter with something akin to malcontent as they again locked with the horses. '_But so am I.' _She said. '_After all, I have already deceived him thrice in stealing prisoners from within his own dungeon, and I have some of the things he desires the most.' _

'_The hanyou?' _Gouka asked. Amaya shook her head.

'_No. Although he does desire him.' _And hear she pulled a small, black shell from inside her kimono and, mumbling a spell under her breath that made it's seam glow gold, she cracked it open, revealing the faint purpilish glow from the jewel shards within. '_I have part of the jewel.' _

Glossary

Amaya - Night Rain(OC)

Kaede - Maple

Kashikari - Wise Legend(OC)

Miko - Priestess

Gouka - Hell Fire(OC)

Hai - Yes

Hanyou - Half-Demon

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: all the reviews of this and the last chapter! You guys have been really awesome and I'm sorry that I'm too tired to type out each of your individual names! **

CMoC: ... Well, let's see... pick whatever song you're currently listening to, and we'll call that my CMoC for now, okay?


	69. Strange Creatures

A/N: Konnichiwa everyone!

Gomen, Gomen, Gomen, Gomen, Gomen, Gomen, Gomen for taking so long to update!

I swear, between my flu, writer's block, this damn website, and everything else, it's been all but impossible to get a chapter up.

This is the first friggen time I've been able to log onto this site in the past 4 days! Otherwise I might've had this chapter up sooner!

However, I'm afraid some of the blame is my fault... or my muses fault. They don't want to focus on any other story but one of mine. It's driving me insane trying to force them onto other stories. (Although, they seem to know what they're doing with that story at least, cause I won an award (cool! )) But they're making me seriously neglect all my other's. So I'm a little less than pleased with them.

Oh, and how cool is it? This story now has 708 reviews, and 30900 hits! Yay! Thanks so much to everybody for reading and reviewing!

Anyway, I finally am managing to get this chapter up... so I guess I'm gonna shut up now, answer the reviews, and then post it so you guys can finally read it.

-angelwingz21 - Lol, I'm trying to!

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, yeah, it's annoyed the crap outta me. Luckily enough, I'm mostly better-- I've only got a cough left (Thank God!) so that's definitely a great improvement! -- Lol, well it's good to know tha you're not gonna force me to be a Kag/Inu fan. I don't know why-- my sister seems to like them, but I think Kag's is a bit too whiny and clingy and bossy. Maybe that's why my sister likes her so much-- they've got such close personalities. Lol. Sess/Kag... Well I don't really like to comment on that pairing very much because I don't usually read stories involving that pairing. Again, I don't like Kag very much, so it's hard enough for me to have her with Inu, but then there's the fact that I've seen a few Kag/Sess plots and they all seem to come out exactly the same. Maybe if I could see an interesting plot I'd like them more. I doubt it, but maybe. Lol, but if you like that pairing, then that's good for you! I'm not trying to insult your choice or anything. -- Lol, my fav pairing? Umm... well that's not exactly a hard choice for me, but I don't think you'd like it at all. It's a little bit creepy to some people. But if you still want to know now... well, then maybe I'll tell you. -- Oh. Well I'm not Jewish, so I suppose that's why I've never heard of it. Lol. -- Yeah, Amaya has part of the jewel. She got it out of Inuyasha's neck way back when I think... But you're right-- if Naraku finds out, she's probably gonna have a real fight on her hands. Like she doesn't have one already. Let's hope our little sorceress can handle it, neh?

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Lol, **C**urrent **M**usic **o**f **C**hoice. It's just something I've been doing for the last while-- whatever music I was listening to while writing out the chapter/review responses. A few other people have picked up on it too.

-Moonglow gal - Oh, well I don't really keep track of them. I just create them, and then leave them alone, and every once in a while, when they deem it necessary, they'll crawl back out of my imagination, and whack me over the head to remind me that I need to pay attention to them in the story too, and then go back in. It's kinda violent actually... Lol. -- So you know what I'm talking about then, neh? Damn muses! I'd curse them into the deepest circle of hell, if I didn't need them to finish writing my stories. Fumes silently for a moment. Stupid things. -- Lol, you have a great everything (day/week/lunar month/month/season/year) too!

-wolfygirl13 - Lol, yeah, blackmailing the chibi's does seem like the best way to keep them under control, doesn't it? Man. Chibi-Sesshomaru-sama is quite the vengeful chibi, ain't he? Woosh! Although, I suppose, if Naraku did to me what he did to Sesshmaru, I might be the same way. I no longer have any sympathy for Naraku's fear of... well, himself. Maybe Sesshomaru should sick Kanna on him again, neh? And poor Miroku-- falling into boiling chocolate. Man, the whole chocolate factory would be... well, dead, if it weren't for Rin, neh? shakes head and sighs Inuyasha, one of these days you're gonna die and nobody's gonna bring you back to life, and where will you be then?... Well, dead I suppose, but... Okay, nevermind then. -- Lol, Sesshomaru, I have two words for you "Anger. Management." Please don't choke me! hides behind computer chair. Wait. Can he choke me through the computer? Would he choke me? Cause if he makes me black out or sends me to the hospital, I might not be able to write any more... Or I might loose the will to write... Hm. So I guess the question is, how much more does he want me to write? -- He chopped off your tail? That evil bastard. You should steal his mokomoko-sama then! See how he likes _that_! And I can say that because I don't think he's gonna choke me anymore... Or rather, I _hope _he's not gonna choke me anymore... eyes Sesshomaru nervously -- Lol, hello Kirara! Kinda weird talking to you since I never expected you to be able to type, but w/e. I'm not about to complain, since you seem to be one of the only four down there with sanity (Shippo, Rin and wolfygirl13 being the other three). Glad my story gives you guys a little bit of peace amongst all the chaos-- although, I must say that I can understand Kouga's reluctance to eat the alligators. I wouldn't eat dark chocolate either! Hey! He should pour milk onto them! Lol, okay, so technically it wouldn't be milk-chocolate, but it would still probably taste better than dark chocolate. Lol. The queen Schinidama and King Saimyoushou huh? Lol, I can imagine the kind of chaos that could create... Lol, I actually almost forgot about Ah-Un. Lol, hope he's doing okay. Though he usually spends an awful lot of time with Rin, and that's probably the safest place to be in the chocolate factory. -- Yeah, it sounds busy down there. And dangerous. Poor wolfygirl. Although someone probably really should help Kouga get away, that's no reason for him to try and feed her to the alligators. Hopefully she's still got support from you and Rin and Shippo though. Amazing, it's the kids and the (no offence) cat that have the most sense down there. And the reviewer. Lol. Well, hope everyone enjoys the next chapter and stops trying to kill each other long enough to read it.

-Sexy Kat - Your welcome. It's not like it cost me anything, so why wouldn't I have helped? Or attempted to, anyway. I'm afraid no one seems to know about it though. I imagine though that it should probably pick up maybe sometime in the summer or fall. That's how they usually work out-- they only usually go off air for about half a year. At least where I live, anyway, but maybe it's different in Australia. Are you sure it's completely off air down there though? Because where I live they had it playing mon-thursday with older episodes at a much later time (12:05 to be exact) but on Fridays they played newer episodes much earlier (10:00). They recently stopped playing the mon-thursday ones, but the friday one's are still on, so I'm just curious if it's the same with you. Although, I imagine that-- if it was-- you probably would have noticed something by now, so this is probably a completely pointless question, but I figure I'll ask it anyway. Gomen I couldn't be more help with this though! I hope it starts playing again soon. I can't imagine how horrile it must be to be Inuyasha deprived... shudders... Or maybe I can, but I just really don't want to... shudders again

-Inume-Blue - Lol, thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the fic, and I'm feeling much better now, so thanks for both those things. -- You're posting stuff soon? Cool! Don't worry about not being as good. You actually don't know that yet. And besides, I used to be a complete piece of shit as an author. I'm not sure what the hell happened to change that so that people actually liked my stories though... Anyway, the point is, don't worry, even if you do start out bad, there's nothing left for you to do but improve. And eventually you'll have to get better. Or else give up. Which I really hope you don't, cause that'd really, _really _suck. So don't do that. Even if it starts out a little rough.

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, don't we all? Such a shame they're not real... sighs... Lol, yeah we're gonna meet him. Sooner or later. Lol, I don't know if he's hot though... I haven't entirely decided on his description. I don't think he's gonna exactly be the sort of Sesshomaru-sexy kinda thing you might be thinking of though. -- Lol, don't apologize. I get soooooooooooooooooooo wired when I don't have a lot of sleep either. It's actually probbaly one of my better modes, considering how out-there I can get when I have had sleep... -- I agree-- One-week is _not _enough! Just like two-months aren't enough of a break either! They need to keep it balanced out or something... -- I'm glad my update could help. Sorry this one took so long though... been having trouble with that lately. Really gotta get that fixed sometime soon. -- Of _course _you're rambling about pointless things! There's nothing else to ramble about! Because if you're rambling about something that has a point, then you're no longer rambling. You're either lecturing or giving a speech. Either one sucks. -- Lol, anyway, feel free to ramble all you want. I don't mind. And it's not like I don't do it enough anyway.

-Bluer Sky - Lol, well don't worry, I ain't gonna tell anyone. Although, I think that down where I live (Canada) downloading music for enjoyment isn't illegle. I hate all those artists that complain about it though. You always know which one's are in it for the money, and which one's are in it for the music by those who complain about things like that. If they're more concerned about earning money from downloads, then about the fact that all these people are downloading their music for enjoyment, then they clearly don't care about their fans as much as they claim. -- Lol, well I imagine that was a scary experience-- coming to Canada as a tourist. Hopefully you found out that we're not as primitive as some of you Americans seem to think. And I'm not insulting you either, but some of you seem to believe that we really do live in Igloos with beavers for pets and all that other whatnot... And that we've never heard of/used things like fax machines and phones and we have no colleges. It's a little bit strange actually... Not that I'm making fun, but... -- Yeah, the tax probably was insane, but then again, our dollar isn't worth as much as you're guys's (STILL!) so maybe that has something to do with it... -- Lol, it's fine if you like my other story better. Subjection, Subjugation I'm assuming is the one we're talking about... Yeah... I like that one too... but I might have to stop writing it. Or at least put it on hold for a while. It's just too much work right now and I've realised that, if I don't stop writing one of my stories, I'm gonna end up blowing a fuse. Literally. And then I might end up not writing any of them. ANd I'd rather not risk that. So it is definitely going on hold for a while until I can at least get enough energy to continue with it... But that might not happen until I finish one of my other stories, so that could tkae a while. I plan to put up a notice there and let people know sometime in the very near future though. -- Lol, Kashikari and Amaya... probably don't have anything going on. At least not along _those _lines. You'll see why as soon as I actually manage to _get_ to him. Lol, although, lots of people want me to hook her up with Sesshomaru... which would be an... interesting relationship, to say the least. I wonder if that would work...

-sourapple10000 - Lol, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Sorry about the confusion though-- you're right, there are horses with Inuyasha and Kagome. But I do have a whole herd of horses I can mess around with so... However, it clear it up, I'll explain a bit to you. The two horses that are with Inuyasha and Kagome are Kazkaen and Arron-- the horses that Amaya has been using for the most part lately. The one horse that is travelling with Kaede and Amaya is Gouka. He's the leader of the horse tribe and one of the one's Amaya originally captured. She hasn't used him a lot lately though. Does that help any? -- O-oh! Yeah, that clears it all right up! Lol, thanks! I think I understand now!

-cocoke5 - Yeah. Poor Inu and Kags. But at least they're making the attempt. Hopefully nothing's gonna go wrong... Because you never actually know what I might throw in there... do ya?

-Jtmscola - Hey! Nice to hear from you again! Lol, backtracking to get in the mood of the story... hm. You know, I may steal that method when I'm writing! It might help get my muses back on track! They won't let me stop writing chapters for this one story, and, while that's great for _that _story, all my other's a getting screwed over because of it. -- Lol, yeah, I suppose that Arron is a bit of a brat. But then again, so is Inuyasha. Maybe it's a younger sibling thing? Hm. Now that didn't work out entirely well, because _I'm _a younger sibling. Then again, my sister did point out (in her usual oh-so-courteous manner) that Inuyasha was a brat and I was just like him. So I had to remind her that he was the hero of the story after all. And if I'm just like him, then what does that say about me? Lol, I don't think it changed her opinion, but it did effectively shut her up, so that's always a good thing. Hm. I don't know. I never know for certain what a character's going to be like until I write them. Since I haven't actually written him yet, I don't know what he's going to be like. Hopefully realistic-- that's all I'm going for. -- Oh, well, hopefully then, (since it's been almost a week since I last updated-- if it hasn't been _that_ already) you'll h ave gotten your lab time without missing anything (cuase I sure as hell haven't updated anything) cause I'd really hate to interrupt anything you might have to do, or for you to fall behind again. -- Lol, thanks! But, in my opinion, every author that puts effort into their stories deserves to have their work praised, even if it's done in a critcal manner. It's the one's that don't put any effort or care into their stories that don't deserve praise. But that's just my opinion, and since when has that ever mattered? Lol !

Strange Creatures 

Inuyasha frowned slightly, gripping the neck of the horse youkai tightly as he heard Kagome continue to shout incoherently somewhere behind him, her words lost-- swallowed up on the gale blasting toward them, created by the horses' speed.

'_Tell your human we are landing.' _Arron said in his mind. Inuyasha squinted and offered the horse his best glare that he could manage against the wind. '_How the hell do you propose I do that?' _He demanded, just as unhappy with their travelling accommodations as his human accompaniment.

'_Too late!' _Arron replied, and then suddenly they were plummeting toward the ground at rapid-fire speed, forcing Inuyasha to turn his face away and bury it against the horse's neck or else risk having the skin torn from it as the wind shot up to blast into him.

He instinctively dug his claws into the flesh beneath his palms as behind him he heard Kagome let out an ear-shattering scream as Kazkaen followed after them.

Then, with a jolt that all but sent him soaring over his youkai's head, they landed, large craters appearing in the ground where the hooves of the horses had connected.

'_Stop clawing at me, half-demon! You are going to tear my neck open!' _Arron snarled in his mind, and Inuyasha dug his claws in deeper.

'_Serves you right for pulling a stunt like that!' _He shot back, before jumping off the horse's back and going over to make sure Kagome was alright, barely avoiding it as Arron attempted to snap at him as he passed.

'I was wrong.' Kagome said, as she weakly threw her leg over the side of Kazkaen. 'The bus isn't the worst way to travel.' She said. '_That _was _the_ worst I have ever been on!' She said, sliding down to the ground.

Only her legs hadn't quite forgiven her that experience, and refused to hold her up.

Luckily enough Inuyasha was there, his clawed hands moving out to catch her hips and stopping her from falling.

Kagome felt a small blush stain her cheeks at their close proximity, but said nothing as she looked up at Inuyasha-- the worry she saw in his eyes.

'Can you walk?' He asked.

Kagome nodded slowly, and he hesitated a moment before withdrawing his hands.

It seemed she was lying, because a moment later she was falling again, letting out a small cry of surprise as her hands reached out and caught hold of his haori, all but tearing it off of him as she struggled to remain upright.

Again Inuyasha's arms came up, catching her arms as he pulled her closer against him so that he could support her.

'Damn, woman!' He muttered under his breath as he tugged the haori back up from where it had slid down his shoulder. 'Why are you always trying to undress me!'

Kagome scowled darkly.

'I am _not _trying to undress you! And I wouldn't have to all the time if you didn't get injured!' She said, then froze up slightly as she realised that Inuyasha might take that the wrong way.

When she looked up though, while obviously frowning, there was amusement sparkling in his eyes.

Apparently he had missed their little quarrels just as much as she had.

'I wouldn't get hurt all the time if I didn't always have to protect you.' He returned, though there was no real fire behind his words, and then reached out, slipping one of his hands under her legs and pulling her up into his arms as he began walking toward the well.

Kagome blinked slightly at this, but didn't protest as they moved toward the well (which she was not even going to ask how the horse's had found) feeling a strange sense of apprehension and excitement well up within her as Inuyasha placed his foot on the edge of the well and then looked back at the two horses, who were staring curiously at them.

'You guys wait here, or else come back in a couple days.' He said. 'Just don't wander too far and don't draw attention to yourselves. You don't want Naraku to find you here.'

Kazkaen gave a small nod of sorts to ascertain that she had understood, and Inuyasha returned the gesture, before turning back toward the well, his eyes coming down to meet hers.

'You ready?' He asked. Kagome glanced down at the well then looked back up at him.

'Uh-huh.' She said, nodding her head in a mimic of his previous action. Inuyasha tightened his grip around her, and she could feel the muscles in his body tensing before, with a small leap, they were jumping forward into the well, Kagome Instinctively curling tighter against him as she felt the air rushing up past her, and she crossed her fingers, praying that it would work.

After all, she didn't have the jewel anymore... there was no saying that it would.

Much to her relief, after a few feet of free-falling, the familiar blue and black light rose up to surround them, pulling them down, drawing them into the area of nothingness as they crossed over the borders of time.

Behind them, two sets of fiery eyes widened slightly as light burst up from the well the two creatures had just jumped down, and the horses stared on, half expecting some sort of demon or another to come bursting out, or for the two to have hit a barrier of some kind.

When nothing of the sort happened, the two approach slowly, looking over the brim, their ears perked forward as they stared down at the collection of earth and bones they could barely perceive through the dark.

'_So... this is supposed to take them to the future?' _Arron asked slowly, his voice quiet and slightly unsure, as if he was caught between awe and fear for Inuyasha and Kagome's sanity as his mother flicker her ears back.

'_I have no idea.' _She said slowly.

A moment of silence fell, and the two uma's looked up to meet each other's eyes, then Arron snorted and turned away.

'_Strange creatures.' _He muttered, his feet leaving smouldering hoof prints in the grass that surrounded and filled the clearing that caused little trails of smoke to filter up, before being lost to the wind.

Glossary

Youkai - Demon

Haori - A type of Japanese jacket that is worn by men and women over their kimono's

Uma - Horse

A/N: Well that's it. Hope y'all enjoyed it. I'm exhausted (been fighting with my computer all day) so...

**SPECIAL THANKS (both for the support and your patience) TO: AnGeLwInGz21, RaMbLiNgPhIlOsOpHeR, PuNk RoCk MiKo2, MoOnGlOW GaL, WoLfYgIrL13, SeXy KaT, InUmE-bLuE, ClOuDs Of ThE SkY, BlUeR SkY, SoUrApPlE10000, CoCoKe5, **AnD **JtMsCola **-- You guys have been really great! Thanks so much!

CMoC -- Dirty Little Secret - The All-American Rejects (can't stop listening to it ), Remedy - Cold, I sometimes wanna die - Joydrop, You give love a bad name - Bon Jovi, Pieces - Sum 41, Fat Lip - Sum 41, Crazy - Simple Plan, We are One Tonight - Switchfoot, Complicated - Avril Lavigne, Aluminium - Barenaked Ladies, Shoebox - Barenaked Ladies, I write Sins, Not Tragedies - Panic! the disco, Four Seasons - Namie Amuro(?), Torn - Natalie Imbruglia, I'm not an Addict - K's Choice, Savin' Me - Nickelback, Save me - Remy Zero.

What can I say-- I've been typing this all out for a while. A _long _while.

Ciao!

Avarwen


	70. Barriers

A/N: Hey Everyone!

Tests have come up in school so that's taken a big friggen chunk outta my day. And writing. Bleah! 

Anyway, someone asked me a little while ago who I thought would win in a battle of Inuyasha vs. Godzilla (only I can't find the review so I don't know who it was ) but I gotta say Inuyasha all the way. Not only do I not like Godzilla at all (he has _the most_ annoying roar in the history of the planet!) But He can't really do all that much. He's basically just a giant mutated T-rex, and I don't think he would stand a chance against Inuyasha. Especially if he wind-scarred his ass! After all, Inuyasha's taken on who knows how many giant lizards before, so why would this one be any different?

Anyway, I'm still trying to find out if anyone knows anything about Inuyasha airing in Australia. Come on people, some one must know something! We've got an Inuyasha-deprived fan here! Imagine-- no Inuyasha coming on at night to help get them through the day... Can we really leave a fellow fan to such a fate without at least trying to figure it out?

Okay, I'm done now... guess I've just got the reviews left now. -- Though I should warn you, I might have to keep this a bit short, I've only got about half-an-hour to do this, and considering how long it normally takes me... well, here's hoping for a miracle!

-Black Betty - Lol, yeah, I'm feeling much better. I think the main problem with that flu (or whatever it was) was that it seemed to kinda trigger my asthma a little bit, so that really sucked, but other than that I'm pretty much fine. (YAY! I hate the flu!) -- I've been wondering what it's like in Kagome's time as well. Some people think I shoudl have her mom be mad at Inuyasha, but I'm not entirely certain why they would want me to do that... Still, it's something to keep in mind-- I try to keep every possible idea open until I make the final deciscion on it. Which, of course, means it can get quite crowded inside my head sometimes. -- Hm, the smoke taken to Naraku? Well that wasn't what I was thinking when I wrote that out (I was just trying to emphasize how truly hot they can be) but maybe... Maybe, maybe. -- Lol, I'm glad you love this story. Though what do you mean "_If"? _You should know by now that I definitely _will_ do something evil. The question is, what and when will I do it and to whom? Grins sinisterly -- And don't worry, you're not boring me. If you were boring me, I wouldn't bother talking to you. Lol, I have a very low tolerance for things that bore me, believe me.

-wolfygirl13 - i'm glad you got your tail back! Stupid Sesshomaru! Although, how many of us really do know the wrath of an angry teenager that has lost their tail? I don't. But then again, I don't really want to. -- Lol, it seems like all the canines are causing you no end of trouble. Well, except for Inuyasha, but he's just laughing hysterically isn't he, so... Woosh. Remind me not to come to that wedding. It's nothing personal against the schinidama and saimyousho -- I just don't think it would be very good for my personal health and just all around safety if I came there. Especially considering the death-rate you seem to have every day. -- Oh hello again Kirara! Sounds like everything is perfectly out of control, as usual. Damn it Sesshomaru! Why'd yu have to go and kill her! I don't like people who kill my readers! It gives me nothing to do once I've finished writing the story! (wolfygirl, if you're reading this, I'm only kidding. Well, about giving me nothing to do. I don't like people who kill my readers.) You better hope I don't get my hands on an incinerator! Woosh! This makes me so much more thankful for the stoic bastard we've all come to know and love in the series. And you can tell him I don't want any of his virtual candy. I don't accept candy from chibi's who murder my readers. crosses arms and shoots a death glare at chibi-Sesshomaru And no, I don't care if she can be revived! That doesn't give you an excuse to kill her in the first place! Stupid Chibi dog-demon! If I didn't despise shock-collars, I'd get you a shock collar just to keep you under control! And thanks again Kirara for relaying all this insanity to me-- it really must be hard to type without thumbs or proper fingers. glares at Sesshomaru some more Can't really think of anything else to say though, so I better go, before I really do kill chibi-lord-Sesshomaru. Impudent dog. Y'know, normally I'm pretty much equal in the cat-dog battle, but right now, I definitely have to say that cat's are better than dogs. At least in your situation anyway.

-Sexy Kat - Oh... Well, I like FMA (even though i just started watching it a few weeks ago) but I'd probably be more than a little resentful toward it if it took over Inuyasha too. Thankfully, I only have Reboot to blame for that down here. Still, I'm still looking, but nobody's responded so far, so I don't know how good this'll go over... Hopefully it'll start playing down under though soon. -- Lol I'm a 100 pure-blooded Canadian. At least, dating back to my parents anyway. They were both Canadian, and so am I. I'm not sure if my grandparents were though... but that hardly matters, I live in the wonderful country of Canadia-- right next to the U. S. of A. Lol. -- Hm. Well, I don't know if they say in the rules that you have to write or not, but I do know that I've seen more than a few profiles where people have written nothing, so I don't think it's mandatory. Or if it is, no one pays enough attention to notice if you don't write. I didn't write for pretty much my first 4 months (or longer) that I was on here and I'm still around, so I don't think anyone cares if you don't write. Hope that helps! Glad you enjoyed the chapter, btw! -- Lol, I hope you're happy though-- Everyone has misinterpreted my request to know when Inu is coming on, and a whole bunch of people think I'm from Australia! Lol

-angelwingz21 - Lol, I imagine you do wanna know, otherwise you wouldn't still be reading, neh?

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, well I guess that was lucky, cause I've been unable to updated as regularly as I would like. I blame writers blcok, and just the rest of my life in general. It's been interfering with me a lot lately. -- Lol, hearing what Mrs. Higurashi has to say might have to wait a bit longer. Gotta pay attention to one of my other characters too, cause I've really dragged this thing on a long time, haven't I? -- I know what you mean. I missed a week of school and I am so back-logged in homework now. And I absolutely hate the spots they make you participate in. Cracked my fucking bone when practicing for track-and-field one year. Lol, but it turned out to be a good thing cause it got me out of pretty much everything except the soccer kick. So yeah, we're exiting april, and heading full-speed into stress-out month. It's a real pain to keep up with everything around now. Hopefully yuo'll be able to relax a bit soon thoug, neh?

-Inume-Blue - Oh, so it wasn't just me then? The damn site kept me off for like 4 days in a row. It sucked. But I'm back now, and so are you, so that's a good thing!

-trekker4life - Wow, so you made it all the way through, huh? Cool! Lol, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! -- Lol, actually I don't come from australia. I'm from Canada. Right next to you! Lol, so the ' instead of " is really more of a personal thing (although I have seen it done it more than a few books). I just have always thought of " as meaning you're quoting someone. Since, when my characters talk, they ain't quoting anyone, I use ' instead. Sorry if it gets a bit confusing sometimes. Lol, but, even though I appreciate the offer, I do know how people in the US like to type things out. Like I said, it's not an Australian kick (at least as far as I know) just a personal one. Thanks for the offer anyway, though! And don't worry about coming off as a grammar freak. More than a few people have complained about my grammar choices and skills before-- so you're not alone there. Plus, I have met some serious grammar freaks, and you really don't seem anywhere near as bad as them, so -- Glad you like Amaya btw!

-Bluer Sky - Lol, I know, not everybody does think we're primitive, but you might be surprised what some people from the US have said about us. It makes me both laugh (because it's funny, not because I'm making fun) and feel fairly depressed-- wondering how we've flown so low on the radar for so long that people don't even know we have provinces instead of states or anything like that. I imagine it's not a collective thing, but sometimes people foreign to Canada (usually Americans) have some pretty strange thoughts (or rather lack thereof) about this country. Though I imagine, if it wasn't currently one of the most popular countries in the world with constant media attention, Canadians might react similar to the US if we didn't already know so much about it. -- Lol, yeah, I guess we are fond of fics with Inu getting tortured. But then again, I always knew I was fond of angsty fics so maybe that's not saying too much about me. I would just like to point out though, that, with the amount of effort and letters you put into _not _typing Kashikari's name, wouldn't it have been easier simply too type it? Lol, okay, don't mind me. Although, if you're not going to, you should definitely find someone who can, cause I can get into all sorts of trouble if you don't... -- Lol, and we should meet Kashikari soon... I know, I've been dragging this on for too long, but, again, it's my muses' fault. And don't worry-- they already know whose boss! It's like every home in North America-- The man of the house is boss, but the woman is in charge. I'm most certainly the boss around here, but that does not and will never mean that I am in charge. "Boss" is just a fancy title we've put up to help make me feel better about having no control over anything in my mind.

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Lol, well I'll assume that means you like it then. Lol.

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, I think that was a collective site thing-- I couldn't log on either for about 4 days, and neither could this other person. Luckily enough they seemed to have fixed that now though, so... Lol, well that's fine, I don't mind if you say that. Lol, lately it seems that I've been needing a bit of encouragement to do that anyway. -- Lol, yeah, Dirty Little Secret is an awesome song, isn't it? Lol, I heard that the band actually had it's fans send in their own personal "Dirty Little Secrets" and that's what they used in the music videos-- what's written on all those little cards everybody holds up. Kinda cool, actually.

Well, didn't make the half-hour deadline, so now I've gotta go. I'll have to come back and do the rest.

-Ania24 - OH! That's really horrible! I hate colds, they should all go and burn in hell! (Literally, cause most germs can't stand extreme heats like that)! And school sucks too! Well, it's annoying anyway. Lol. Anyway, about what you were saying on Subjection Subjugation, I don't know if I'm gonna work on that story anymore. If I don't turn it back into a one-shot, then it's defnitely not gonna be updated for a while. I've just got too much on my plate right now, and I was stupid for trying to start _another _story so soon. And I am purposefully not going to Kagome... It's a writing tactic that I saw in a book once (can't remember which one) where they show only one character's POV as everything happens, and you only know as much as they do. For the most part anyway. If I do continue, I probably will go to Kagome, but it'll likely take a while. Still, I appreciate all your ideas and help! -- And thanks! My flu is all but gone now! Writer's block is still being a pain in the ass, but...

-da-1-who-will-love-inuyasha-4-eva - Lol, yeah, everyone wants him and her to get together. Lol, okay, so you've finally settled on this name have you?

-cocoke5 - I'm glad you thinks so.

-samha - Lol, I'm glad you're enjoying the story (even if you are a little behind). Nope, I've never seen that movie. I don't watch a lot of Japanese or kung-fu or whatever type movies. I'm more of a fantasy-lover than an action lover. Why, is it similar to this story? -- Lol, don't worry about it. You can never ramble too much.

-sourapple10000 - Well I'm glad I cleared up the confusion, and that I could make you laugh. Normally I'm _causing _the confusion rather than clearing it up, but I've always loved making people laugh, so if I accomplished that, then I'm a very pleased writer. -- Yeah, everyone wants to see how her family is going to react. Some people want her mom to be angry and Inuyasha. Poor little Inu, after all he's already been through, and they want her mom to bite his head off... : ( Lol. Hm. Well, I don't know that it's been quite a year yet, but it's definitely been quite a few months, so...

-Moonglow Gal - Lol, yeah, it was the highlight of my day! Jk! Lol, one of the readers likes it when I do that with her name, so I do it for her most of the time and everybody else when I'm in... well, the mood to do it I guess. -- Hm. I wonder... tense silence... Well, if they are able to come back, I'll have to think of a plausible reason for it, won't I? Lol. Avarwen-san? Hm. Never been called that before. Lol

-Almandine-Azaleea - Yeah, I figured I'd deprived them of their personalities for a little bit too long, so I gave them a moment to be their same old bickering selfs. Glad you enjoyed it.

-Jtmscola - Well that's good to hear. Everything. That you're not gonna leave, and that you got your lab time. I'm already depriving people of sleep apparently, and making them late for school/work I really don't wanna be responsible for them failing as well! Lol. Woah. 15 hours? It must be a pretty big film, neh? Or maybe it's a very short film. I don't know. What's the current timing rate for making films? Well, I'm glad you're not gonna blame me for reading my story... Cause even though it would be cool to do, I can't control people's minds like Amaya can, so I'm not really entirely certain how I would force you... Lol, anyway, I put too much thought into that. -- No, I'm not getting bored-- I like hearing any and all questions/advice/thoughts and everything else people have to say. Regarding the story or not. -- You want to know how to post the story? Like how to upload it and everything, or is there something else? Cause to get it up, first you need to save the story in a format this website will accept (RTF(rich text format) and HTML work on most sites) and then you need to go to the document area on and upload it from wherever you saved it (in story format). Then, once that is done, you go to "stories" And up at the top it should say "New story" and you click that, and then go through all the rules and things they have. Once you've done that, it should give you a button that says click to select category. Click it, and then a little pop-up will appear asking you what section your story should appear in. From there, the rest is pretty straightforward, and you probably can figure it out for yourself. If not, I'd be glad to help you more. -- Lol, if this didn't make any sense to you (which wouldn't surprise me considering I've always been horrible at explaining things) let me know and I'll try to get it out in a more coherent manner, k? -- Lol, well, as just an author in general, I bid you Sayonara until next time!

Well that's about it. Don't have anything else to say, and I need to go update on my other site, so...

Barriers

'It is done.'

Amaya looked up as the priestess's voice reached her ears, the shadows flickering slightly on her face from the fire that made up Gouka's mane and tail.

The horse had given up on staying awake hours ago, but Amaya had been up ever since, and, was quite certain that, had another ten minutes gone by, she would have completely lost her mind.

Between the miko's muttering, the faint flickers Gouka sent her during his sleep, and the further away ones coming from... well, she didn't know who (though she suspected Inuyasha was attempting to talk with someone) she was surprised she hadn't already gone screaming up the damn wall.

Sighing and glaring darkly at the miko, she rose slowly from the jutting piece of rock she had sat herself upon, the night immediately moving to envelop her in cold mist and clouds as she stepped away from the warmth of the horse youkai toward the small door-like hole the priestess had managed to create in the barrier.

Amaya stopped, stared at the barrier a minute, then looked over at the priestess, one eyebrow raised in sceptisim.

'That's it?' She asked in blatant disbelief. 'We've been sitting here for the last six hours while you chant away, and this is all you could accomplish?'

Kaede stared impassively back at the witch.

'It will be enough to allow us to pass through the barrier, and that is all ye asked me to do.' She said. 'If ye wanted more ye should have asked, though it would have taken longer.'

Amaya clenched her fist at her side and then turned away from the hag to face the barrier.

'_Rise, Gouka. The miko has allowed us to pass through.' _She called.

The uma's ears twitched slightly and he lifted his head, his eyes sparkling faintly in the dark light as he looked over at her.

'_You should have given me more warning, majo. I don't keep ningen hours.' _The horse said as he rose to his feet, stretching slightly as he did so.

The rock he had been laying on was darkened and black, and small rivults of steam rose up from it, hissing as it went, fighting against the coldness of the mountain air.

'_Neither do I.' _Amaya said as the horse approached, turning his side toward Kaede as Amaya rolled her eyes and created an invisible step for the priestess to use that would allow her to mount.

'Don't get comfortable up there.' She said as she turned back toward the crackling barrier. 'We do not have that far to go.'

Kaede frowned slightly. 'Are there more barriers you wish for me to break?' She questioned.

Amaya snorted. 'I would hardly call what you did "breaking" a barrier. A no, I do not believe there are any more spiritual barriers I will require your assistance, miko. The rest I should be able to handle.'

That said she turned and strode purposefully forward through the small doorway in the barrier, Gouka and Kaede following behind.

The miko drifted and slumped slightly on the horse's back as they continued to make their way over the rocky surfaces, pausing every few feet to force their way through barriers and other such things with spells so utterly complex and confusing, they gave Gouka a headache just trying to listen, until, at last, Amaya all but crashed into what the horse hoped to be the last barrier.

Only he couldn't see anything.

Amaya frowned and scowled in front of her, her eyes darkening.

'It would seem that Kashikari has put up more barriers since the last time I saw him.' She said, examining the air before her in distaste. 'Though I really wouldn't have thought him to put up one such as this.'

Gouka twitched his ears back slightly.

'_You can see the barrier?' _He questioned.

Amaya snorted again. '_Of course I can. It is a camouflage barrier-- only those who know what lies beyond it can see or sense it's presence.' _

Gouka stepped forward slightly and flicker his tail. '_Why then, if it is only for those who know the creature and lands beyond, would this barrier have blocked you? Would Kashikari not wish for you to pass through?' _

Amaya frowned at the horse and raised an eyebrow.

'_For a demon lord you know very little about barriers.' _She said as she slowly approached the air she had just run into. '_Every creature has those who know where to find it, but it does not wish to be found by. Not all of the very few who know of Kashikari like him. But only those who he likes would be able to break through the barrier.' _She glanced back at the horse and gestured around, her hand skimming something that let out an angry hiss.

'_If, however, someone who does not know what lies beyond here wanders through the barrier, they will find themselves lost forever in an eternity of... nothing. That is what would have been in store for you had you wandered ahead of me.' _She turned to the barrier.

'Luckily enough, I do believe that Kashikari is still on good terms with me. I should be able to open the barrier.'

'_So do it.' _Gouka returned, earning him a filthy look from the sorceress, before she turned back to face the barrier, clasped her hands together in front of her, the first two fingers raised and pressed flat against their opposites of the other hand as she closed her eyes, clearly concentrating.

Gouka watched intently, waiting...

His ears flickered back and then foreward as the sorceress suddenly began to speak-- to chant, in what was clearly a spell or some sort of password.

But the tongue she was speaking in... was like nothing he had ever heard before.

It was dark and smooth, twisting around itself like a snake, and seeming to be neither from the mouths of demon's nor humans nor any other creature he had ever met before-- an ancient tongue of some sort, that held a great sense of foreboding behind it.

Wind started to swirl from overhead as the sky seemed to turn about them, stars coming out to rival with the light of the sun as Amaya continued to chant, and a great black orb appeared, doming over the earth and crackling with angry blue light-- like streaks of lightning shooting over it as he began to perceive things through it... a cliff of some sort... a cave...

The blue lightning suddenly crashed together right in front of Amaya, the streaks clashing and waging war with one another, before suddenly shooting off in different directions... and pulling the barrier with them.

There was a moment of confusion as the barrier drew back and Gouka felt himself being overcome by a sudden surge of power that pinned his ears to his head, and caused him to start to back away from the barrier.

Then, just as quickly as it had started, everything stopped... the stars faded from the sky as it slowly stopped it's rotation... the wind died down... the lightening and the barrier disappeared... and Amaya opened her eyes...

All in the amount of time it usually took someone to blink.

And that's exactly what Gouka did do.

He blinked.

Amaya's arms slowly fell to her sides as her hair settled around her shoulders and across her face in a tangled web of black spider-silk, and she gave an irritated huff and pulled the strands away from her face as she turned back toward the horse.

The shock written plainly on his face was nearly enough to crack a genuine smile from the sorceress.

Almost.

Instead she just raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes.

'Stop gaping before your eyes fall from your head, Gouka.' She said, turning back toward the land now revealed before her, a small smile playing across her face and the familiar air filled her lungs. 'We have arrived.'

Glossary

Miko - Priestess

Youkai - Demon

Uma - Horse

Majo - Witch

Ningen - Human

**SPECIAL THANKS AND GOOD LUCK TO ANY OF YOU TAKINGS TESTS: Black Betty, wolfygirl13, Sexy Kat, angelwingz21, RaMbLiNgPhIlOsOpHeR, Inume-Blue, trekker4life, Bluer Sky, Punk Rock Miko2, Clouds of the Sky, Ania24, da-1-who-will-love-inuyasha-4-eva, cocoke5, sourapple10000, Moonglow gal, Almandine-Azaleea, **aaand **Jtmscola **(Good luck with your story BTW )

CMoC - My Immortal - Evanescence, Learning to Crawl - Black Lab, How soon is Now? - Love Spit Love, You and Me - Lifehouse, You give Love a Bad name - Bon jovi, We are one tonight - Switchfoot, Hanging by a wire - Gordie Sampson ( -- Finally learned the title and artist of that song, I swear, without them, it's nigh on impossible to find!), I want to Change the World - V6, Stop Crying you heart out - Oasis, Stay Young - Oasis, Innocent - Our Lady Peace, In the land of twilight under the moon - See-Saw


	71. Breaking and Entering

A/N: HEY Everyone!

Long time no see, neh?

Gomen about that-- I really am trying to get my updates back to pace but... well, it's not working too well.

I can't feel too bad about it at the moment though, cause I'm just in too much of a good mood to feel bad about it, so... maybe a little bit later, neh?

Anyway, I'm really excited cause one of my stories won an award last month, and now another one just got nominated for IYFG. Lol, I don't actually know all that much about awards, but everyone seems to make a big deal over that one in the IY category, so I assume it must be pretty good. Not that I'm bragging (HELL NO! ) but I'm excited, and it is fanfiction related, and nothing has happened really in my life since I've been so backlogged with homework and shit that I feel bothered to tell you, so... Lol, okay, anyway...

I've been neglecting you guys long enough, and now I'm finally back and I'm rambling on about stuff that really doesn't have any impact on you at all. Typical.

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Glad to hear you still think so... even after 70 chapters (woosh, this story's longer than I thought!).

-Bluer Sky - O-oh. Lol, okay, I'm with you now. Well, as much as I ever am. Yeah, I suppose I do make kinda difficult names to remember, don't I? I mean, I don't ever forget them, but when you spend a couple hours staring at Japanese words and trying to think up a good combination to make a name, it's really hard to forget what you come up with. Lol, plus, if I ever did forget, that would be a bit of a hindrance in the story, neh? Lol. -- Yeah... I suppose I am the metaphorical man of the metaphorical house in my metaphorical mind. No wait! That's not right... my mind's not metaphorical! At least, I hope it isn't... Lol. This conversations reminding me of a joke I once heard, I think it went something like: On the night of their wedding, a newly married couple were up in their hotel room, just getting ready for bed, when the husband suddenly picked up his pants and threw them at his wife, telling her to put them on, but the pants were so big she could almost fit both of her legs in one of his. Finally giving up, his wife took them off and handed them back to him. "I can't wear these pants!" She exclaimed. "Exactly." He replied. "And as long as we're married, I'm the one whose going to be wearing the pants around here." His wife stared at him a moment, before going over, picking up her panties, and throwing them at him, telling him to put them on. The husband attempted to get them on, but could only get them about half-way up his leg before he had to stop. "I can't get into your panties!" I finally said, giving them back to her. "Exactly." The wife returned. "And that's the way it's gonna stay until you change your attitude." -- Lol, okay, I think I might have screwed up somewhere in there, but it's the same basic principal so... I don't know if you'll find it funny, but it made me laugh, so...

-Inume-Blue - Lol, I'm glad you like it! It's too bad Alice Cooper wasn't right... School isn't out forever. sighs...

-Almandine-Azaleea - Really? I thought I might have rushed it a bit. But, if you like it, then that's all I was setting out to accomplish, so it couldn't have come out as bad as I thought. Lol, still, I'm glad you liked my use of words in it. English is one of the biggest languages in the world (our fcucking huge dictionaries are proof enough of that) so we should take as much advantage of the words as we possibly can in our writing, neh?

-wolfygirl13 - Oh good! It's great to see you again! I'm glad you were brought back to life, although reincarnation can be quite annoying sometimes, can't it? Hm. So you think Sess's mom was a cat then? Hm. I suppose it kinda makes sense... Wait, does that mean he can transform into a gigantic terrifying cat demon too? eyes Sesshomaru for a moment Hm. Well, I guess it's a good thing he's got your ears to distract him, neh? And I'm glad you've finally discovered them, btw. Oh, hi again Kirara. Sounds like Miroku's gone completely insane, neh? Still, I suppose that was a good idea with the mirrors and all that shit... And it sounds like Kagome is in need of a serious cut-back on the caffeine. When she was demanding more coffee, did anything think to keep her satiated by giving her decafe? Lol. But then again, that might not have worked. -- Woosh. Well, I'm glad Kouga finally gave up on Kagome, but c'mon, KAGURA? Woosh! I mean, first of all, everyone thinks she's supposed to end up with Sesshomaru (which, if he decides that she should, your life is in serious danger), and secondly, what the hell about Ayame you stupid wolf? Honestly! Man! Lol, well, I have no idea what Shippo said either, although I probably could figure it out generally, but I don't know if that would be a good idea. So far it seems the less I know about the choc factory, the better off I'll be. Lol, hopefully the Naraku hunt goes well, even if Sess is afraid of the incinerator. Tell woflygirl13 I said hi when she decides to wake up, and that the next chapter is up.

da-1-who-will-love-inuyasha-4-eva - Lol, well I'm glad you're happy with your name. It can be quite the pain in the ass to come up with a name for yourself sometimes, neh? -- Lol, so I'll take that as one more vote toward Sess and Amaya. Hm. Well, I guess we'll just have to see what I can't come up with, neh? Although, that doesn't necessarily mean I'll put them together, but...

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, graduation is still a bit a ways away for me, and I'm not entirely certain if this was a final I just took, but it was still one of those tests that have a big impact on your final grade, so... I think I did good though. Hopefully you're pulling through them as well, neh? Tests are always such a big pain in the ass! -- Yep, we've finally gotten to Kashikari's barrier. Shouldn't take too much longer now before we actually meet the guy. Man, he's slippery-- keeps avoiding my muses and won't let them write about him! Lol, yeah, I guess Gouka really doesn't know all that much about barriers. But then again, he is a demon that spends quite of bit of time in his animal form (if he even has a humanoid form) so, really, can you expect him to know much?

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, cool! I don't have it. I haven't heard enough songs to know if I'd like it enough to buy it-- only heard "Bring me to Life" "lies" "My Immortal" "Haunted"( -- That is what it's called, right?") Some song I can't remember the name of, and another song I don't think is on there called October or something, so... -- Lol, I never really thought about it, but I guess I do get a lot of reviews. Lol, I'm usually spending too much time responding to them to notice. But no, I don't get 100 reviews per chapter. If I did, then I'd currently be somewhere around the 7 thousand, and I haven't quite reached that yet. Lol, I guess that means I'll just have to work harder, neh?

-Moonglow Gal - lol, no, I haven't heard that a million times, but I am aware of it. Sometimes I forget though, or sometimes I'm just in a particularly defiant mood and I type out I want to change the world instead. Oh yeah, I'm a real daredevil. Lol. Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying it still! Kashikari in Kagome's time? Woah! I never thought of that! But I suppose it could happen... after all, he's who knows how old already, so why not add a couple hundred more years onto him? Lol. -- Eep! I don't wanna die by ostrich attack! Maybe if they were emus I wouldn't mind, but not ostriches! looks around fearfully what a time to run out of giant flightless bird repellent...

-Lady-Sttar - Mm. You do have a point with that. But then again, Kagome had just been under the influence of Amaya's healing powers, and had been unconscious for who knows how long when she and Inuyasha first met again, and when she went to hold the cup she had been through a lot more exertion, so maybe that could explain it... Still, you've got a very good point. -- Yeah, Inuyasha should share with Kagome sometime I imagine... during a lemon? Hm... Y'know what, I might actually do something like that... Lol, you've given me an idea and I think I might actually be able to integrate it into the story. Arigato!

-sourapple10000 - Yeah, what should Kashikari be like? Seems to be a question floating around through everyone's mind... will he be like Sesshomaru? Or maybe a different sort of personality entirely? Mm... so many possibilities!

-Kuroi - Lol, Yeah, for the life of me I couldn't find that review! (And believe me I looked!). And I really gotta say, it's no contest. Godzilla's a slow lumbering dragon thingy, and Inuyasha's dealt with and defeated fast, intelligent dragon thingy's before, so there's no way he'd loose to him. -- Lol, well thanks for answering at least! And as much as I appreciate it, I'm not the Inuyasha deprived fan... I am lucky enough to still have it playing down where I live. It's another unfortunate reviewer that has had the misfortune of it going off air, and her and her little brother have been living without it since I think sometime in midwinter...

-AnimeMscInuKagLuver1425 - lol, wow, two-days huh? Woosh! Well, hopefully you got enough food/sleep in that time... I have been known to indirectly cause people to have small bouts of starvation and/or insomnia, so... -- Gomen about the talking thing. I'm assuming you mean that I use ' instead of ", in which case you're not the only one to complain. As I explained to everyone else, I've always considered " to mean you're quoting someone. So, since my people aren't quoting people when they talk, I use ' instead. I've seen it done in more than a few books before, too. However, this isn't a book, it's Fanfiction, so I can imagine that it's more than a little confusing when I do it, so gomen again for that. -- Lol, yeah, I was looking for a name that a kind of dark meaning behind it or something, but not necessarily evil to suite her, and Amaya (which means night rain) seemed like a good choice. I realised only later that it's a name that a LOT of people use for their OC's, which kinda annoyed me cause I lost that edge of originality, but, whatcha gonna do about it, neh? Still glad I used it though, cause I stll think it's one of the most suitable names for her. -- Lol, by all means use CMoC! Most people have a music thing at the top talking about what sort of music they think should be listened to with the chapter, but I just put up what music I actually _did _listen to while writing out the chapter. Or at least my responses to the chapter. So, technically, it's not really my idea entirely. But even if it was, I wouldn't deny a fellow music lover from using it too! Some of the other reviewers have already caught on and are using it as well, so I don't mind anyway. -- Lol, I've never read your stories, but maybe I will when I get a break. I'm currently really backlogged in every department, but that one especially. I've got around five stories people have requested me to just take a look at (not beta-- I don't do that, as people should be able to tell by the poor betaing job done in my own stories ) plus just reading in general. Between updates and everything else, I don't have a lot of time to just read anymore. : ( -- Lol, don't worry about rambling on about your stories. Ramble all you like! I don't mind. But you should know-- chances are, the more you ramble, the more I will. And don't worry about being crazy. Everybody is. And the one's who claim otherwise are just in denial. -- Lol, yeah... the plot line... my own little bit of insanity written down on paper for everyone else to view. Lol. Yeah, I've read stories like that a few times, and I'll sit there and I'll just be... "What the hell happened... this had so much potential... why did the author decide there was no longer any point in keeping us entertained or interested?" Lol. I'm glad you like the length of the story (even if the chapters are short). Quite honestly, if you told me way abck around chapter 30 that this was gonna be more than 70 chapters long, I probably would've laughed in your face and said something along the lines of "yeah, right... when the stars shine green in a yellow sky!" And now that I'm actually here, I'm looking back along the long chapter list and wondering where the hell I found the time/ability to write all these chapters. Random Things: If the stuff you're drinking taste funny, stop drinking it. I have a friend named Rachel, but I don't know who you're Austin and Rachel are. Chocolate is good. Very good. But only milk chocolate. Dark chocolate's too rich, and white chocolate just taste funny. My neck hurts a little bit. I HATE KIKYO TOO! With a capital H-A-T-E-She-should-go-and-burn-in-fucking-hell! My whole family is crazy too. Luckily enough, my own psychosis helps to hide this fact from my friends. I hope you enjoy my other stories if you read them. There's something in my eye that's making it water. French Fries are good. I don't like reading Inu/Kag stories, but for some reason I've written a few of them. I fell down the stairs the other day. It hurt. Sugar is good for you. So is salt. You can die if you don't eat enough salt. There was a big salt crises a long time ago when everyone stopped eating salt, and people started dying and no one knew why. So basically, it's potentially life-threatening every time you sneeze? It's impossible to lick your elbow. If try and suppress a sneeze, you can pop the blood vessels in your head (not a good thing). If you keep them open long enough, your eyes can fall out of your head. Lol, think I've rambled on enough? -- I think I've only heard maybe four of the songs on your list "Come", "Right here" "lies" and "every heart" -- THough I haven't heard the english version.

-lunerfox - Lol, don't worry, I haven't updated in a long time! We're even! -- I don't know. I've always kinda thought that, if something in the past happens, it was supposed to happen and already would have had it's effect on the future beforehand, so essentially nothing would really be changed. Okay, did that make any sense, cause I just gave myself a headache...

Breaking and Entering

Kagome looked around her, amazed, as her eyes took in sights she had never thought she'd see again-- as she listened to the birds calling back to one another, and smelled the familiar air that had never before seemed fresh after she had begun crossing to the feudal era-- always tinged with exhaust and smoke and so many other things.

Compared to the miasma swarmed air that made up the past now, this smelled like the freshest air in the world.

Inuyasha frowned slightly and watched as her wide eyes stared around her in amazement.

'What the hell are you so worked up about?' He asked, drawing her eyes back to him.

She returned his mouth's scowl.

'I just... didn't think I'd ever see this place again.'

Inuyasha's eyebrows rose as he looked around him. 'We haven't even left the well yet.' He said slowly.

Kagome only shrugged.

'Doesn't matter. I still never expected to see this place again. Even if I ever made it back to the well again, I didn't think it would let me through.'

Inuyasha's eyebrows rose slightly at this, but he didn't comment, understanding what she had meant.

Shifting her around slightly so that he could hold onto her tightly, he lowered into a crouch, and then sprang up out and over the edge of the well to come and land on the other side.

'Here.' He said, setting her down slowly. She stood for a moment, getting used to the feel of her legs again, before, offering him a small smile, she turned and made her way over to the door with the full intention of sliding it open.

Only it wouldn't budge.

Kagome frowned and gave it another rough jerk.

Nope, it definitely wasn't going anywhere.

She heard Inuyasha come up behind her, and she turned around toward him, her eyes slightly wide with worry and frustration. 'It won't open!' She said, gesturing over a the door. 'They must have sealed it off again!'

'What, with more of your "ofuda?"' He asked, moving around her. 'Shouldn't you be able to break those?'

Kagome shook her head. "Of course I'd be able to break those! I don't think they have any real spiritual powers anyway... I mean, I think they sealed the door shut-- with nails or something like that.'

Inuyasha frowned. 'Why the hell would they do that?' He asked, sniffing at the door, his eras perking forward slightly.

'_Because they didn't think I was coming back... They didn't want anyone to disturb me...' _She thought, afraid to say it out loud. '_They thought that this would be my grave...' _

Inuyasha pulled back slightly, and put his hand on the door, giving it a rough yank.

Wood cracked angrily in protest, and splinters started to crease along the frame as the door worked hard to keep itself together.

Inuyasha gave it a warning growl, and then yanked hard.

Maybe a little too hard.

The already loosened nails shot out of their little burrows in the wood, sending large cracks down through it as dust and slivers flew everywhere and the door went flying off to crash against it's other end-- very nearly flying off of it's frame in the process.

The hanyou and ningen stood there a moment, just staring at it with wide eyes, before Inuyasha gave a shrug, clearly unconcerned that he had very nearly pulled their shrine door from it's hinges, and moving to step out into the yard.

'You coming or what?' He called back to her.

Kagome stared dumbly at the door for a moment, before moving to follow after the hanyou.

'You didn't have to use so much force you know...' She said slowly. Inuyasha just "Keh'd" and crossed his arms in front of him as they made their way up to the house.

Behind them the door gave a final weak creak, before shattering to the ground in a pile of wood and splinters.

Kagome winced at the sound, but chose to ignore it as Inuyasha came up to the door, his hand reaching out to slide it open.

It didn't move either.

He sighed and glared at it.

Kagome, not wanting the door of their house to befall the same fate, quickly grabbed hold of his arm and yanked him away from the door, making him grumble and complain loudly as she all but yanked him back along the path to try and find a way in.

Finally her eyes fell upon her bedroom window.

'_That's never locked!'_

That in mind, she gave Inuyasha's shoulders a hard shove in an attempt to get him to crouch down. Needless to say, it had very little effect save to unbalance him slightly and make him glare at her.

'What the hell is your problem?' He demanded angrily, brushing her hands off.

She huffed and put her hands on her hips.

'We need to get into my house.' She said agitatedly. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

'Yeah, so?' He questioned.

Kagome barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. '_So_, I think she should be able to get in through my window.' She said, as though that was supposed to explain everything. Judging by the expression on Inuyasha's face, it didn't.

'I need you to carry me up there!' She finally huffed out. Inuyasha stared at her a moment, and then glared.

'Well why the hell didn't you just say that, instead of trying to dislocate my shoulders!' He snapped at her, turning so his back was to her, and beginning to crouch down.

'Well, I could've made it easier on myself and just said sit!' She shot back, unwittingly using the word that would activate the rosary.

A loud yelp, a thunderous crash, bits of sidewalk flying as the hanyou broke through the earth and random curses shouted at the top of his lungs... that's what Kagome had expected to happen.

Only it didn't.

Instead, Inuyasha remained where he was, halfway down to one knee, his entire body tensed up, waiting...

When nothing happened for a good five minutes, he slowly rose and turned back to look at her, frowning and reaching down to touch the beads around his neck.

'What... happened?' Kagome asked, her voice a soft, stunned whisper.

Inuyasha shook his head. 'I dunno...' He said. He brought his other hand up to grasp the rosary and attempted to lift it about his head.

Only it wouldn't go.

As usual, it repelled him just before it got much further up than his nose, and he couldn't take it off.

The beads were humming faintly, and a light pink glow was coming from them... other than that, they seemed to be completely normal.

Inuyasha looked up at her, his expression one of confusion and concentration. 'Say it again.' He said.

Kagome frowned.

'Sit?' She said slowly, softly.

The beads rattled against one another, but made no move to drag him down to get up close and personal with the ground.

Inuyasha looked back down at them, his eyes wide. Kagome looked slightly worried.

'Why... don't they work?' She asked softly.

Inuyasha just shook his head.

There was another long moment of silence, before Inuyasha turned back around and crouched down again.

Wordlessly, Kagome moved to grab onto his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his waist.

In an instant he was up, moving to leap up toward the roof of her house, just above her window, sliding the glass open with ease and allowing them to enter into her room.

She barely noticed.

She was too stunned at what had just happened.

The beads... they hadn't worked...

Did that mean...

Was her connection with Inuyasha broken?

But no... the rosary hadn't removed itself... it was still there...

So why then...

What was happening?

Why had the spell broken?

Don't have time to do a glossary right now, but, in case anyone's wondering, an ofuda is a paper charm with a prayer written on in and it's used to expel/seal demons and such.

THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL THE REVIEWERS OF THIS STORY! Again, I'm really sorry, and, as much as it pains me, I don't have enough time to thank you all individually and still get this story up today! You've all been great though! Gomen, and thanks so much for all your wonderful comments!

CMoC - More than a revolution - Eleventyseven (Clearly I haven't been listening to this the entire time, but I don't have time to do all the songs I was listening to, so...)


	72. A Shift in the Shadows

A/N: Hello everyone!

Long time no see, neh?

Gomen about that-- I've been really slow lately... And not just here, but on all my stories! It's getting to be a pain in the ass really, cause I can't get any fresh ideas in and when I do I can't write them anyway I like... 

Anyway, I wish that I could say that this chapter was extra long to make up for the amount of time it's taken for me to update, but, well... that would just be a lie. It's not extra long. It's just the same old length. But hey, it's still an update, right? That's a good thing! It's more than some of my other stories have seen in a while...

Anyway, stuff that might help in this chapter:

_Italics _-- Thoughts _or_ "Mind-Speech"

'' - Regular talking

**Bold **- The Ancient tongue (What Kashikari and Amaya will most likely be speaking in whenever they converse. Unfortunately I don't feel up to inventing my own language at the moment to use in this story, so just using bold is gonna have to do. )

Review Responses:

Are now at the bottom.

I don't know how well this'll work out, but I've been getting a lot of complaints on my stories lately that I talk to much and the review responses are in the way, so this way people can get easier access to them. Everybody's happy!

A Shift in the Shadows

Amaya allowed a soft sight to escape her lips as they passed through the wounded barrier, her dark eyes glittering faintly as she looked at the sky around them with as much nostalgia as she ever felt, and allowed some of the tension these past few weeks had caused to slide off of her.

The dark sky was as black as the sea at night, and no clouds or fog rolled in from the mountains to dim or hide it's glory. And, with no moon currently present, the stars were revealed in all their glory-- shining like crystals of ice against the jet-black night that they were suspended in in a way that they had not anywhere else for several thousands of years.

Behind her Gouka and Kaede travelled silently, and she could clearly feel the nervousness coming off of both of them.

After all, why not?

The air around here was thick with the presence of Kashikari, and his strength would be enough to make any creature tremble. It was not the sort of place one would want to wander in accidentally. Hence all the barriers they had just crossed through.

But Amaya did not feel any of the trepidition of the other's. She had been here several times before now-- she knew Kashikari well enough. She had no reason to feel fear anymore.

Glancing back at the horse youkai and his rider, she smirked at them a moment, before shaking her head, and turning to look back ahead, coming to a stop as they reached the edge of the cliff.

From here it was a who-knows-how-many-foot drop straight down with absolutely nothing to hold onto, into the branches of the ancient forest that created a sea of green in front of them. If you couldn't fly, or at least somehow survive a fall like that, there was no way you could make it past this point.

Water poured from just beneath her feet in the cliff, and fell down into a river that trailed off into a great sparkling lake that reflected the sky perfectly just before their final destination.

The great cliff at the other side of the barrier, and the large cave there.

'We need to get across here.' She said slowly, not bothering to look back at her companions as she pointed at the forest below. 'To there.' And here her finger raised up to indicate the douketsu. 'That is where Kashikari resides.'

She heard the soft tapping of Gouka's hooves against the stone as the horse slowly came up to stand next to her, glancing warily at the cave.

'_Are you certain this is safe?' _He questioned softly in her mind. '_This presence I feel... It does not bode well with me. I think we should turn back.' _

Amaya frowned and threw a scathing look at the uma. '_If you are truly so frightened horse, then go back. But know that I will not take the hag with me. It will be your responsibility to get her back to her home. **I **am going on. With or without you.' _

She could feel Gouka's anger swell slightly beside her. '_You ask me to follow you blindly to meet a creature that has an aura as powerful as this?' _He questioned. '_And you leave me with the responsibility of a ningen miko that you requested I bear here for you. Do you not think you are assuming much to think I would take her back to the village?' _

'_Would you leave her here?' _Amaya countered, staring out, her eyes honed in like a hawk's on the cave before her. She shook her head. This was taking too much time. Casting a dark look at the horse, she shrugged her shoulders. '_Do as you see fit.' _She said. '_I have not the time to wait here for you forever.' _

That said, she called her power, transforming herself into her bird form and, without a glance back, she pushed off from the cliff, her sharp claws tearing a great gash in it's ledge that allowed for more water to break free as she took to the air, leaving the horse and startled miko behind.

'_I will not wait because you have lost your nerve, horse.' _She called back. '_I will come and find you again when I have finished here. Hopefully I will not search with ill intent.' _

That warning in place, she cut her mind off from the horse, and focused it instead on the cave she was drawing ever nearer to, knowing that Kashikari would have sensed her by now, even if he was not responding to her mind's calls.

She hadn't expected him to.

But it was still always a safe move to alert him that you were coming... after all, even if it wasn't possible, to risk taking him by surprise... well, it just wasn't a smart move, and it could easily get you killed.

The closer she came to the cliff, the stronger his presence was becoming, making even her instincts tell her it was time to turn back, but she ignored it. She had faced him several times before, and she was not about to turn away now.

Bracing herself, she extended her claws and landed sharply on the thick stone that made up the ledge outside the cave, pausing a moment and shaking her wings as she peered into the darkness before her with keen eyes, her claws clicking sharply against the stone as she turned toward the movement in the darkness of the cave.

Something incredibly large shifted, making the very mountain tremble beneath her feet as she instinctively spread her wings and puffed out slightly, falling into a defensive stance despite already knowing what was coming.

The sound of air being inhaled sharply in what she knew to be Kashikari scenting the air, and then another shift, before everything stilled in the shadows once again.

'**So Amaya.' **A deep voice called, flowing in the same ancient tongue she had spoken at the entrance to the barrier, rippling and meshing with the world around it as it fell on her ears-- awakening a sense of familiarity within her even as she backed up slightly.

Amaya felt her eyes narrow as, from the darkness, something shifted, and then the shadows were broken by a silvery glow cutting through the dark like the stars did in the sky, and a cat-like pupil shifting to focus in on her against the pale backlight of the ancient eye now fixated upon her, radiating it's knowledge and wisdom despite it being the only part of him that she could see, even as his great voice sounded again in the darkness. '**You have come.' **

Glossary

Youkai - Demon

Douketsu - Cave

Uma - Horse

Ningen - Human

Miko - Priestess

Review Responses:

-Almandine-Azaleea - Okay, take a deep, calming breath. Lol, nope the beads aren't working anymore. Bet ya didn't see _that _one coming! Lol, I'm glad you enjoyed the ending, and that you like my short sentences. I've had a few complaints about them before in the past, so it's nice to know not everybody dislikes them.

-Punk Rock Miko2 - Lol, well I updated, but it wasn't soon, and I don't think this helped you in knowing what happened, neh? Lol, hopefully you enjoyed the chapter anyway.

-lunerfox - Lol, yeah, I do, don't I? Lol, well, actually I don't know if that's true, but you said it is, so... Although, I don't think everybody likes my cliffhangers... I've been getting numerous deaththreats on one of my other stories where I've left repeated cliffhangers, threatening to kill me if I don't update soon, so I guess they're not appreciated as much there. Lol.

-Inume-blue - Now I can't answer that-- that would be telling! And if I told I'd have no plot left to put the story too cause everybody would already know what was going on! Lol, nope, you're just gonna have to wait and see what's coming up next.

-Moonglow gal - Lol, mystery, suspense, angst, and all that other twisted stuff that I love so much! -- Sorry if the A/N threw you off, didn't mean for that to happen... -- Yeah... shudders I remember the ostriches. Lol, although someone on a different story said that they'd protect me from all deaththreats I've been getting lately, and they, apparently, have a good deal of expertise in dealing with ostriches (no idea why) so maybe I shouldn't be quite as worried now, neh?

-Bluer Sky - Lol, yes I have. Believe me, when you loose have the day to responding to reviews, you do notice. Not that I'm complaining! Hell no! Lol, I'm just trying to say that I have, indeed noticed. But you seem to have already gotten that, so I guess I'm really just rambling on with no real purpose now, neh? -- Lol, yeah, she does talk a lot sometimes. But don't worry-- other than the chunk of sanity at the top and bottom, I tend to read her reviews in the same way. It's interesting though, and I enjoy that bit of insanity that she provides. -- Mm, well, I can't speak for the other reviewers, but I have no idea why you'd feel like a stalker. I've read other reviews from time to time as well-- lots of people do it. Some people actually started having a conversation in the review pages on one of my stories one time, which was kinda interesting. Anyway, beside the point (and yes, for once, there was a point )-- The point _is _that it _is _a public area, and the reviews are out there in the open for you to read, so no one can complain if you do read them-- it's your right as a person who get the internet and comes to this site and reads this story! Lol, if they want privacy, then they can send me a PM review or something. But, in all honesty, I really don't think anyone cares that much. -- Lol, anyway, yeah it has been a long time, although technically I haven't _been _anywhere. Especially in Naraku's dungeon. Eyes Naraku for a moment I'd like to think that, if I ever did disappear, I'd be captured by someone more appealing that Naraku (say Sesshomaru or Inu? ). Either that, or I'd entered WPP to escape all the death-threats I've been getting lately. Lol, no, I've been right here, but I've been soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo busy lately, and whenever I do have a moment, I can never think of anything to write. It drives me nuts, cause I love updating just as much as you guys like reading them! Bleagh! sighs great, now I'm feelin depressed... Lol, okay, well not exactly, but...

-sourapple10000 - Lol, actually I think he's about to go into a state of absolute depression because he can no longer be slammed face first into the ground whenever Kagome gets angry at him. Lol . Well, I don't think this chapter would've helped you solve anything about the beads, Kagome's family, or just the plot of the story in general, but then again, I could be wrong... probably am too...

-Kuroi - Well, let's see, Kagome and Inuyasha came through the well, Kagome couldn't open the door so Inuyasha pretty much tore it off it's hinges, and then he and Kagome got into a bit of a snit and she tried to sit him and it didn't work, and then he carried her up to the window and they went into her room. I think that about covers it, doesn't it? Lol.

-Sexy Kat (aka sexy neko gal) - Hey! I most assuredly did _not _take my time! _I've _been pounding my brains out every single day, and giving myself writer's cramp as well! It's the damn _muses _that are taking their time! Stupid things won't do their jobs, and I can't write properly until they do... grumbles darkly -- Lol, okay, I'll be looking for reviews from you under your new alias then! (unless, of course, that really is your name... but that'd be kinda weird...)

-wolfygirl13 - Lol, yeah I've watched and own all but the fourth Inuyasha movie (but that hasn't been converted into english as far as I know, and I can't really listen to the Japanese actors without getting an urge to laugh, so...) -- Hm. Who would've thought Sess would have an obsession/fetish thing for ears like that? More importantly, who would've thought you'd _have _ears like that? Not me, that's for sure. But then again, this is the chocolate factory right? And with all the chibi's in it, I'm quickly learning that quite literally _anything _can happen. And it usually does. -- Well at least it's good to know that Sango's just tired and not suicidal. It'll definitely be easier to help fix the problem that way. -- Yes, I imagine rubber duckies, teddy-bears, rattles and any other number of little kids toys like that could be quite destructive when they've got an exploding rocket jammed inside of them. Although, I imagine the plastic stuff that makes up the outside of the rubber ducks might give them just a little bit of an extra kick... but then again, if a stuffed bear exploded, and one of those eyes popped off and hit you, that could be pretty painful as well... O-kay, I've officially given too much thought to this now, haven't I? Lol. -- Woosh! Panic in the air ducts! It can't be very safe to battle in such close quarters... And now Shippo and Rin are hurt! Oh no! They were the only bit of sanity left for the chocolate factory to cling to!... Hm... Although, now that I think about it... if Naraku's trapped in the air ducts... couldn't you like, I don't know flush him out somehow-- with tear-gas or something? Although, then again, that _just might _affect the taste of the chocolate you're making down there... -- Kagome forgot she could "sit" Him? Yeesh. Poor Inu. But at least she wasn't angry and intoxicated with caffiene, cause _that _would've been a helluva problem and-- oh. You're gonna turn me over to Kirara again? Lol, well okay, I guess I understand... having someone pet your ears can be very... erm... relaxing I guess? -- Hello Kirara! Nice to talk to you again... Only nekomata( -- is that right?) I know that can talk at all, so... but considering you're the only nekomata I know, maybe that's not saying much, neh? -- sighs Yeah, poor everybody. But I suppose it's their own fault (mostly). They just never learn, do they? Lol. Sounds like the queen and king soul-collector and hell-wasp are getting along alright though-- although I agree, the thought of them getting dressed up is a bit... weird. Albeit, not as weird as that video tape Naraku made, but... -- Hm. Rin and Sess into heavy metal. Now _there's _one for the record books! -- O-kay, and we're switching off again. Well this should be interesting... Sayonara Kirara! -- Konnichiwa Inuyasha! Well, it's good to know you're getting better at this, although, if Kirara's not careful, you might end up stealing her job, neh? Lol, well I haven't seen wolfgirl13's ears, so I can't really say, but I do have to agree- you're ears are great! Although, I don't know why you're complaining... wouldn't it... kinda freak you out if Sess came over and started petting your ears all the time? Besides, how would you ever fight or do anything of that kind if you always had an obsessed demon lord hanging off of your ears? Lol, it's probably better for you this way... And now you're leaving too. Woosh this is getting confusing. TTYL I guess inu... -- Lol, hi Shippo! Yeah, Kirara did mention something about you not being able to type english... although I agree, when you put it that way, it does make sense. My sister and I had a similar arguement the other day-- I couldn't figure out why she thought someone who could read the language couldn't speak it... But anyway... Hm. So _that's _what you said? Lol, the only thing I got was Rin ist wunderbar, but that's pretty easy considering it's very similar to english, so... Lol, don't worry, you got your point across, and don't worry about doing something nice-- a review is nice enough! -- Sorry to hear about your arm btw. Just don't scratch under the cast (if you have a cast)! Apparently that's a very bad thing to do, cause you can seriously hurt yourself that way... -- Oh, hello Rin! I'm doing fine! Everything's great (except my damn muses have escaped and are on the loose some where and I can't write anything till they get back), the weather's okay-- on and off, one minute it'll be sunny and hot as all hell, the next it'll be kinda dark and rainy (which is fine, cause I _loooooooove _the rain ), and don't worry, for the time being I'm not sick or hurt or anything else either. Still can't get anything new written though, and it's driving me screaming up the ding dong wall! -- Lol, sounds like you've got enough insanity of your own to deal with though, neh? Mm, yeah I suppose Kagura and Kouga could make a very nice couple... but if this is how they're like now, I can only imagine how they'll be once they're married, neh? -- Lol congrats on being flowergirl, although I do have to ask you to take it easy on Naraku. I need to keep him alive-- at least until I can have some time to finish my story. -- Lol, yeah, I wouldn't put it past Sesshomaru to plot something like that... although I don't know if he'd go to such extremes as this... eyes Sesshomaru and wolfygirl a moment Personally I find it a little creepy that he's so obsessed, but if it doesn't bother wolfygirl, then... Well, this is getting pretty long, and I've run out of things to say, so thanks for all your guys' great compliments and... well, that's just about it. Lol. phew

-RamblingPhilosopher - Lol, yes! Finally! As funny as it is sometimes, I get sooooooo sick of Kagome going out of her way to sit poor little Inu! glares at Kagome Oh well, at least now I've taken _that _power away, but I think you're gonna have to wait a little while before you can learn why, neh?

-cocoke5 - Lol, well if you keep on reading it, then I'll be here to keep on writing it! Well, until I reach the end, that is, because then I can't keeping writing, but...

-Clouds of the Sky - Lol, you and everyone else. Don't worry, I'll explain that sooner or later. Expect it later though, cause they are in present time now, and if Kags and Inu can't explain it, then who the hell there could? Lol, yeah... not only did you have to wait until this update, but now you're gonna have to wait until the next as well! Oh how purely evil I am, making you suffer so! -- Mm. Lol, believe me, I'm just as surprised as you at the length of this. When I first started (after I decided it was a one-shot) I was convinced it wouldn't make it anywhere near nor over chapter 50. Now I'm looking back and scratching my head and wondering how the hell did this happen? Lol. Although I think that, since my muses are on temporary vacation, it might be a little easier to believe... -- Lol, don't have such little faith. Believe you me, I'm just as impatient a person as you probably are (although I think I might be starting to get a better grip on it now ). You just never know what's gonna happen, neh? You might wake up a month from now, and find that you've got an eighty-something chapter story going on.

-AnimeMscInuKagLuver1425 - Lol, you're right about randomicity. Because, when you step back and take a look at it, every single subject going on in the world is completely random when it's compared to another subject from somewhere else. -- Yeah, I've never eaten Sweet 'n low. I ate cactus "milk" once, and that was really horrible. Not only does it taste bad, but it BURNS like all hell. I don't know how those stupid desert animals can stand it... Glad I'm not one of 'em. So, in other words, I am giving a very bad review and low recommendation for cactus "milk." If anyone offers you any, don't eat it. Not even the smallest bit of it. Though why the hell someone would be offering you cactus milk is beyond me... -- Did ya know that, despite what everyone thinks, the second toe on most people is actually longer than the big toe, and that one that is shorter than the big toe is actually just about as rare as a left-handed person? And apparently people with a shorter second-toe are better at sports like ice-skating, whereas a person with a long toe would be better at soccer. Fascinating huh?-- Lol, I actually think both those elbow facts might be wrong. I think that that guy on the guiness book of world records who fit through a tennis racket probably could do one of the two... and I saw this girl who could fold in half once, so... But I digress. Lol, actually I don't think I do, but it's kinda fun to say that anyway. -- Cat's don't have collarbones. I don't know if anyone's ever died from sneezing... I know I haven't, and that's basically as far as my knowledge on the subject extends. People have died from laughing before though... and you gotta admit, if there's gotta be a way to go, that's probably it. At least your last memories you will know you were having fun! -- Inhaling helium from balloons is bad for you, and can, if enough time passes and enough helium is inhaled, kill you. Oh, BTW, you said at the beginning you had some apple juice and it was god. Now, normally I don't point out spelling mistakes (because really, who gives a shit?) but that just seemed funny to me. Lol, I don't know, I'm weird. Damn proud of it too! "Everybody is somebody else's weirdo." -- That's my motto and I'm stickin' with it.

-Esk42 - Woosh! Just now? Man, that must've taken you a while, neh? It's only 71 chapters! Lol, still, it's good to know that you liked it enough to sit through them all! Lol, but, just like a told everyone else, you're gonna have to wait to find out what's going on... It's no fun for me after all if I can't get to keep you guys in suspense a little bit.

A/N: There, progress was made! HA!

**SPECIAL THANKS TO: AlMaNdInE-aZaLeEa, PuNk RoCk MiKo2, LuNeRfOx, InUmE-bLuE, mOoNgLoW gAl, BlUeR sKy, SoUrApPlE10000, kUrOi, SeXy KaT, wOlFyGiRl13, RaMbLiNgPhIlOsOpHeR **(Did the name thing again ), **cOcOkE5, cLoUdS oF tHe SkY, aNiMeMsCInUkAgLuVeR1425, eSk42 **-- You guys have been truly awesome thoughout the majority of this story! Thanks so much for sticking with me!

CMoC - Breaking the Habit - Linkin Park ( -- Had this damn song stuck in my head all day... ), So Far Away - Staind, Blurry - Puddle of Mudd, Unwritten - Natasha Beddingfield( -- Is this right? I can't remember if that's right...), Crush - Jennifer Paige, Life for Rent - Dido, Lies - Evanescence, Going Under - Evanescence, Fukai Mori (Deep Forest) - Do As Infinity, Deep Forest AMV - (This is sung in english, but I don't know who it is, so...), Grip - Every Little Thing and Mizu no Akashi (Token of Water) - Rie Tanaka ( -- This song is from Gundam Seed-- Lacus Clyne sings it in one of the episodes... I like both the english and Japanese versions, they're very beautiful, although I prefer the english one. Can't find it anywhere though, so... )


	73. Stale

A/N: Hey guys!

Sorry, but right now I literally don't have time for _anything_. None of my lame excuses why it wasn't written faster or anything like that, and not even responses. : ( Sorry, but I wanted to get at least _one _chapter up this month, and I just ran outta time, so... Gomen! I really feel like I've been neglecting you guys. : (

Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter despite that...

Special thanks to everyone whose read this far, and extra-special thanks to everyone whose reviewed! You guys really are awesome!

Stale

Kagome let out a small breath as she was set down on the familiar floor of her room, Inuyasha coming to stand next to her in an instant as she sighed and stretched happily at the familiar surroundings.

She was vaguely surprised, if pleased, to find that nothing had changed since she had last been here.

Well, maybe some of the clothes she had left on the floor had been picked up, and her bed had been made, but other than that, everything was exactly the same.

Wasting no time, she made her was over and flopped down on the familiar cushions of her bed, sighing happily as she did so.

'This is heaven.' She murmured happily, hugging her pillow against her as the familiar softness of her bed enveloped her, so strange after months on end spent on hard ground, and then old-fashioned futons. Now, while Sesshomaru's futons were probably the very best of that age, they were still nothing near as comfortable as the ones she had at home, and could in no way compare in comfort.

Stretching happily, she reached down to strip off the tabi and zori from her feet, wiggling her toes about as she let the old-fashioned clothing drop to the ground.

'First, I'm going to get changed.' She announced loudly, jumping up from the bed and moving over toward her closet. 'Then maybe I'll have a bath. It doesn't seem like anyone's home anyway. Then we can have something to eat and...' She trailed off slightly as she caught site of Inuyasha's face from the corner of her eye.

The silver-haired hanyo had a slightly dark expression on his face. His arms were crossed in front of him, and his eyes were dark as he sniffed the air of the room, his ears pressing back slightly as he did so.

'What's wrong?' Kagome asked quietly, wondering what on earth the boy could be smelling that would put him in such a foul mood.

He turned his eyes on her, his scowl still firmly set in place. 'This room... it smells stale.' He said softly, and Kagome felt her eyebrows shoot up to get lost in her bangs, before coming down to form a frown on her forehead.

'Stale?' She questioned, not understanding how a room could smell "stale" as she turned back toward the closet, letting her manto slide to the floor as well.

'Yeah.' He said, still looking around the room, his face taking on a funny expression. 'It's almost like... someone died.' Kagome instantly tensed at that, her mind flying toward her grandfather as worry struck through her, because, really, who else could possibly have died here? It's not like she knew a lot of people, or that a lot of people came and spent time in her room, so who could it have been?

'Is it grandpa? Do you smell him?' She asked, her voice laced with distress as she looked around, as if expecting to see his corpse hiding in one of the corners. Maybe that's why everyone was out though-- maybe they were attending his funeral?

Inuyasha blinked, and then shook his head. 'No. I don't mean like that.' He said, his voice still very quiet, and Kagome both relaxed and tensed more at his words, not understanding what he was saying, but relieved that no one was dead.

'Then--' She began, only to be cut off by the half-demon a second later.

'After my mother died, they chased me out of the village we lived in.' He said, his eyes dark as they scanned the room. 'But sometimes I'd sneak back into the castle and go to the room she used to have there. The air was so still in there, and heavy, like no one had passed through it for a long time, and only her scent was there... but it was so old. And the room smelled stale.' He looked back at her. 'Like this.' He gestured around the room, as Kagome continued to stare at him, though comprehension was slowly beginning to dawn on her.

'So... basically you think no one's been in here for a while?' She asked softly.

Inuyasha frowned, shrugged, and then nodded. 'I guess.' He said slowly. 'I can smell them out in the hall-- their scents are all over the rest of the place, and it's leaking in here, but there's no trace that anyone's actually come in here for a long time.'

'Oh.' Kagome said softly, not sure how to respond to that. Because there were a myriad of things it could mean-- most of which were not very pleasant-- and her mind was choosing to steadily ignore what was most likely behind this new piece of information.

So, giving a small, dismissive shrug, she turned back to the wardrobe and pulled out one of her spare school uniforms-- thankful that her mother had always been smart enough to keep her well-stocked on them (considering how many she had ruined in the feudal era) as she turned back toward Inuyasha, smiling.

'I'm sure it's nothing.' She said, making her way toward the door. 'After all, this is my room, and if I'm not in it, then why would anyone else be?' She asked as she pulled open the doorknob, which turned grudgingly as the hinges gave loud shrieks of disapproval that caused Inuyasha's ears to crush against his head and make the half-demon wince. Ignoring this as well, Kagome move to step out into the hall, pausing to call back to Inuyasha.

'I'm going to take a bath, okay, so don't even think about following me!' She called, and Inuyasha glared.

'Keh! Why the hell would I want to look at you?' He demanded, his anger moving to cover up the other emotions that had been present in his voice before as Kagome called something back to him, and then made her way off down the hall toward that damn "bathroom" of hers with the evil contraptions that spouted water and somehow always managed to burn him, while he secretly continued to glare at the offending scents of the room, which had shifted slightly now that Kagome and him had been in there, and the window had door had been allowed open to set loose a current of fresh air that streamed out into the hallway.

He heard the water turn on as he moved to sit cross-legged on her bed, Tetsusaiga clutched firmly in one hand as he could not help but get the feeling that something was off here.

Kagome's family were very social with each other (when they weren't distracted with video-games, friends and feudal escapades that is), and he was certain that, despite what she said, they were probably in and out of her room all the time.

So why then couldn't he detect any fresh traces of them in here?

Why couldn't he get rid of the feeling that there was something wrong?

Why couldn't he stop thinking that something was not right here?

Tabi - Split-toed Socks

Zori - Sandals for a Kimono

Manto - Cloak


	74. Author's Note

I'm sorry to announce that this _isn't _the chapter I know you've all been waiting for.

I know, it's been _months_ since I updated, and I'm sorry for that, but my muses have gone AWOL and I'm not entirely certain where they are right now.

I _will_ update this story again sometime, but right now I'm afraid it, and pretty much every single one of my other continuing stories has been put on hold.

I'm currently just trying to finish _one_ and all the rest are waiting. As soon as that one is finished, I'll start working on this one again, I promise. Or maybe sooner, considering I've just about reached a point in that story where I need to break it in half...

I'm sorry I didn't post this sooner (I thought for the life of me that I had, and it was only Kuroi's review the other day that made me realise that I _hadn't_), I know you guys must've been wondering where the hell I went, and if I was ever coming back, and I'm really sorry for that. I know how frustrating that is.

I did leave a message on my profile page, but that's not the same thing, I know.

Anyway, I promise as soon as the other story is done, this one has top priority, and I'll work on it again if I have to _beat_ my muses to do it. That one's coming first though right now, because I'm fairly certain that it's been out longer than even this one, and I'm sure everyone's getting sick of waiting for an ending there. Much like they are here, by now, I'm sure. : (

**GOMEN GUYS**! I've really fallen apart haven't I? headdesk

And gomen, again, Kuroi, I know, it's been a really long time. : (

Avarwen


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